update mania!!

Ok short update ( as usual)
Went tos ee the Crazies this weekend, not a horrible film but I was a bit underimpressed, hopefully full review soon.  I also saw Black Dynamite this weekend, funny as hell.  If you are a fan of blaxploitation cinema cehck this out.  Last night I saw a film called Cold Around the Heart.  It starred David Caruso and Kelly Lynch as outlaws on the run from the cops and each other.  Had never heard of it but was pretty damn good.  Lots of twists and turns, doubble and even triple crosses.  Check it out
hopeto be back with a blog exclusive unique content.

Peace

House of the Devil- Review

long time coming but...

there are some spoilers, so be warned


It is human nature to not appreciate something until it is gone. We make fun of the current trend, only to feel nostalgic later. Horror movies can be the same way. Unfortunately many times that nostalgia for a film we viewed as a child turns into a bitter taste of reality when we watch it again. Director Ti West decided to ride that wave of nostalgia into the studio and created a little horror film called House of the Devil. House of the Devil is set sometime in the 1980s and uses techniques and equipment from that era. West avoids and humor, twists, or satire and gives us just a straight out 80s style satanic horror film.




The plot concerns Samantha, a college student who has just rented her first apartment. Now all she has to do is find a way to pay for it. Desperate for cash, she takes a job as a babysitter for a strange couple that live on the outskirts of town. Once there she learns that there is no baby to sit, but instead she is to watch over an elderly mother. Her best friend and ride, Megan, tries to convince her to leave but the couple offers her more money so she accepts. On her way home Megan comes to a sudden and bloody end at the hands of a mysterious stranger.



Strange things start to happen as soon as Samantha is alone. Unable to contact Megan her fear grows. She orders a pizza and it is delivered by the same stranger who killed Megan. The pizza is spiked and soon afterwards, just as a lunar eclipse is beginning, Samantha passes out. She wakes up tied hand and foot and about to be sacrificed by the weird family.



West does a good job of capturing the feel of the '80s. It would be easy to go too far and make the movie look hokey, but as it is, House of the Devil could play in an '80s horror marathon and fit right in. The music is just right for the decade. Not content to use standards, he instead gives us great songs like "One of Our Submarines is Missing." Remember that one? The hair also screams pure '80s. He didn't go big prom night hair, but instead used hair styles that the average college kid would be wearing back then.
 
 
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Fave picks for the month

Yes I know I've been pumping the florals. But It's spring what else do you want me to be excited about? I always say it is a fine line between wearing a floral that looks like grandma and wearing a floral that looks like a little girl. These are two picks that won't put you in either category. You can edge them up with denim and a leather jacket.

Vintage Scarf

This is a great find- a vintagy floral scarf- $12 at Torrid.com

It looks romantic, and has a renaissance old world feel to it. It may appear antiquated but this scarf is super chic. I have been getting tons of complements on it and it really dresses up a khaki skirt. The pink flowers are subtle but really pop with a pink carti.

update

Really haven't seen many new movies in the last week as work has been a bitch.  I did watch Frost/Nixon and The Reader on the non horror front.  Horror wise I did catch Joy Ride, The Omen ( original) and THe Wolfman ( orig) again.  Will have a review up hopefully this weekend

My review of The Wolfman with Benicio

It has often been said that only three things in life are certain life, death and taxes. Now it seems that you can add remakes to that list. The latest in a long and seemingly never ending parade of remakes is The Wolfman. It has been almost 70 years since the original, so the only shock should be it has taken this long. Hollywood is in remake fever now and even movies under 20 years old are being made. Many remakes bear little in common with their forerunner, while others seem to be shot for shot copies. The Wolfman manages to fall somewhere in between.




Starring Benicio Del Torro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt, The Wolfman is set in Victorian England and follows the originals plot throughout most of the movie. To divulge too much would spoil the plot for those who haven't seen it. I do think the "twist" wasn't really needed and was visible far in advance of it's reveal. Still in a land of remakes, The Wolfman is better than most and wasn't a total failure. To those who have not seen Lon Chaney Jr's original, it is even more effective. Watched in concert with the original, its failures are more apparent. Still at the very least it paid respect to the classic and it appears the makers of The Wolfman have seen the original.



First let us discuss what was good about The Wolfman. One of the best things about The Wolfman was the scenery. The scenes of the village took me back to the glory days of Universal and Hammer horror. Towns were recreated beautifully and the fog shrouded forests and moors leant a eeriness not present in nearly enough films. It brought to mind the opening of An American Werewolf in London and more recently scenes from Dog Soldiers. Later in The Wolfman, the hirsute villain visits London. There are some absolutely gorgeous scenes of the wolfman atop buildings howling at the moon, or silhouetted against London Bridge. London feels so real you almost expect Sherlock Holmes to pop out and give chase to the beast.


Go to page 2 at assoiciated content click here

Werewolf fever strikes

So I present
The Wolfman a cinematic history

The latest incarnation of the wolfman hits the theaters this week starring Benicio Del Torro as the hirsute protagonist. Most people are aware that this is a remake of the 1941 Universal Horror film The Wolfman starring Lon Cheney Jr. This classic from Universal is the Gold standard for the wolfman, yet it was not the first werewolf movie.




The Wolfman is probably the best known film about lycanthropy, yet it was not the first. There were at least four films that precede The Wolfman. The first werewolf film is thought to be The Werewolf starring a Native American who turns into a wolf... read more

Chaser

My review for Chaser is up at associated Content here is an excert and link backl to the review, hope you like it

Chaser is a South Korean thriller that is bloody enough to stand up with the best horror film. Kim Yoon-Suk stars as Jung-ho, a disgraced cop turned pimp, whose girls have started to go missing. At first thinking they have simply ran away with money he had loaned them, he becomes suspicious when Mi-Jin, one of his remaining girls, goes missing.


read the whole review

Associated content

I am now publishing on Associated Content.  Most of my serious stuff will go there first and the liger, stupid stuff to Triond.  I have republished a few reviews and stories there like 

Martyrs


and Thirst


as well as my nre review of the horror short  Pin

Lucy Lawless Naked!

That’s right. No joke or false misleading article, Lucy Lawless, Xena herself, is finally naked on film. Xena has a huge cult following and Lawless herself has a legion of devoted fans. Now Lucy is starring in. .(read more)

the Chanel jacket part 3

This is an interfacing that is made with horse hair. It will keep my jacket from loosing its shape.All we have to do now is the sleeves and the pockets. We decided to cut strips of fabric to inset into the seams so there would be more consistency to the fringe. Otherwise the fringe would go in different directions where the material was bias cut. we also pulled the blue threads so that the fringe was white with pink and red flecks rather than navy blue. I love the contrast. It plays up the detail and pops a little more.

The Chaser

Watched The Chaser and most of a british horror film called Splintereed last night.  Still no luck at getting my hands on a copy of House of the Devil. I tried two blockbuster, both had only three copies and all rented out, and two Walmarts.  The film is listed on Wal-Mart.com so apparently they aren't boycotting it.  Best Buy.com also has it listed but didn't have time to get to the local Best Buy before closing.  Guess I may have to break down and order it online

I wrote a review for the Chaser, and submuitted to Associated Content.com, since I am now publishing most of my stuff there.  Unfortunately they haev a long submission progress and it migth be a couple of weeks before it gets published.  I will link to it and probably republish here one it is approved there.  The Chaser isn't really a horror film but its damn good and damn gory. Check it out

Still looking for House of the Devil

Wal-mart had no copies and Blockbuster was sold out.  Blockbuster only had three copies which was a shame but Wal-mart.  Hmm makes me wonder if maybe they just didn't carry the title because of the name?  Wont be the first time Wally world wimps out on a controversial item.  Still the only controversy I have heard  abotu the film is , well NOTHING!  The name however could give Wally execs or ordering person a shiver though.  Ah well think I mgiht try the Best Buy tonight, really want to see this flick

Lindsey Vonn sexy pictures draws criticism! What the hell is wrong with people!

I mean come on!  Its not like she is naked or even showing nay skin.  True she is wearing a sking tight suit but isn't that what skiers weear?  True, she is bent over in what could be called a sexy pose, but isn't that a basic position for skiing?  Whats the real complaint that Lindsey is beautiful and to be honest hot as hell?

Should women athletes be hairy and look like lumberjacks? Jeexz people get a fucking life. Popel say that the picture is degrading and lowering her to just a piece of meat but in truth she is doing more for womens rights than most of the protesters.  She is out there being successful, being popular and yes, being beautiful.  She can compete and probably can outsky most male competitors.  Now if she were naked or barely clothed it mgiht be a bit different, but really this is ridiculous

Gorehound.com

Want to throw out a shout and a link to my bro Erik the Gorehound and his new website

http://www.thegorehound.com/

Erik keeps you up to date on horror movies and the best in metal as well as yellijg at your drink and each month he selects a GoreHunny of the month.  This month he features my sister ( ewww) ( just kidding sis)

Check her and the other Gorehunnys out here
You cna also visit her blog  here
and her poetry and artwork here

If you think you might want to buy some of her artwork you can at her gallery at Yessy


or if for any ungodly reason you want to visit my poetry ( ick), ramblings or other reviews you can visit my Triond page


Peace out

It's ALive

It's Alive!!!!!

Nope not the bad baby movie by Larry Cohen but me and my blog.  Yep I been lazy but I tend to get depressed at times and kind of disappear from the workld as much as possible at times, but like a good horror monster I always pop back up when least expected.


First off big congratz and mega props to my friends Veronica and Fran on the birth of their beautiful baby boy.  Way to go Froni!


Hoping to have movie reviews and what not up and running again this week.  really looking forward to House of the Devil ( all three copies rented out tonight (.  May buy a copy tomorrow as I'm really looking forward to it) as well as the new Wolfman movie with Beneccio Del Torro.  This looks better than I had thought it would and Beneccio makes a great werewolf.  I mean he kind of looks like a wolf even without any make up.  really glad they made this a period piece instead of moving it into present times.


I just took a gig as a short film reviewer for Horrornews.net so got to get to work on that tonight and tomorrow.  I'm hoping that will steer some more traffic this way.  About to start writing for ASssociated Content to make some extra dough.

The Fashion Revolution

Fashion Model's tattoos of a coat hanger. Top: Nicole Trunfio, bottom: Chanel Iman. Chanel was quoted as saying, "It symbolizes me being a model. Because you can hang clothes on a hanger and you also hang clothes on a model."

I have found a calling amidst the experience of my own despair. I have come to realize that the designer in me was born of nececity. For if I had been created thin and petite, I would have at my disposal every design and creation known to woman that I could afford. I would have been content to shop and aquire goods from stores and this would be my sole relationship to the fashion world. It would be simply a means to an end or as the leisure women of our day contend a recreational sport from which I would delight in my plunder. But because I am tall, large breasted and now in my older age "fat." it has become necessary that I create my own vision of beauty, and fashion in order to avoid over priced and dowdy, garments with little attention to details, quality or fit. And so I proclaim to you once again that all women despite their size deserve accsess to clothes that are affordable and beautiful.

In the begenning it was enough for me to simply create clothes to fit my own body. But I have met and continue to meet dozens of women with the same look of disapointment on their faces as they sift through fashion magazines and store racks looking for their size and asking, "where are all the clothes that make me look beautiful and feel special?" It is the same question that drove me to design and seek out dressmakers to assist me in creating my own clothes. From this I have begun to search for the answers.

A thought occurd to me, perhaps it is not that the magazines are telling us that thin is the only beautiful body type. The magazines are news books that simply report fashion trends and news. The images are of models who are the size of the clothes they have to fit in order to be employed. These clothes are created by designers. Before I begin to deduce the issue here, I will say a few words in loose, defense of the designer. Now that I am a designer I understand some of the percived constraints. For months before I created my first line I worried about the size of my samples. If I made the samples in sizes 0,2,4 it would be easier to go with the industry standard. It would then be easy to find models, and my clothes would be accepted into the fashion discourse as legitamate fashion. I would also save money on fabric. However this went against my original purpose and mission of my clothing line. in addition if I never found buyers for my clothes, I would have invested too much time and money into clothes I could not enjoy myself. So I decided to make my samples in sizes 20, 22, and 24 so that I could keep true to my original mission statement and if all else failed enjoy all my hard work by "rockin" my own designs.

the first problem I came across is that dress forms only come in one shape- the hour glass. In addition they rarley come in sizes above a 14. If I want to design clothes for plus size women I have to have access to the tools I need to design for their various unique shapes and sizes. There are various types of plus size bodies. The circle (generally round all over), the triangle (larger up top and smaller on the bottom), The rectangle (a larger version of the average woman with the same measurements up top as down below), and the egg (thinner up top and wider on the bottom). There have been no advancements in the ingenuity of the dress form, that I am aware of, since french corsetry was the normal attire for fashionable women. The corset as we all know was designed to cinch the women's waist and force her body to take on the hour glass shape. The dress form therefore follows this same shape which has become the standard for what a woman's body should look like. However if we look at drawings from ancient civilization such as the Greek. We find that the standard for a woman's body was much more organic.

Secondly designers make sample sizes in size 0, 2, 4 because these clothes are test runs for their new designs. This is probably inspired by the desire to save fabric and any consequences are probably not intentional, however because of the way the industry works our visual consciousness of beauty has been altered over time. The industry works this way, first, the designer makes samples, these are the clothes that are seen on the run way. Next, the buyers choose clothes from the run way that they want to sell in their stores. These are the same clothes that are then photographed and put in magazines. While simultaneously being mass produced in various sizes. Therefore whatever size the samples are determines the size of the models and therefore determines the images we see in the media.

Here is where I challenge this process. A designer could challenge beauty image just by choosing to make their sample garments in larger sizes and there fore use lager models. I have done this with my first line. Kudo's to the growing list of famous designers who are also doing this. Designers don't need to design for plus size women to make a difference. By changing the sample sizes to fit size 6, 8, 10 one could erase the impossible standards set by the fashion industry and encourage healthier body images.

If designers can make even this small concession we would see a n increase in healthier models on the runway, and more realistic images in the meda which inturn would create a healthier body image and more attainable beauty standards for all women.

Now that I am a designer I know that the asthetic of the garment changes with the shape of the body it rests on. Many designers defend their refusal to produce plus size clothes by saying that "it is not their chosen aesthetic." They simply choose not to do it because they say, "larger bodies do not inspire them."

It is the designers who drive the fashion industry and the insatiable need for models to be thin. And yet, if a designer makes clothes for plus size women they are then seen as a plus size designer and as so are dismissed from fashion discourse as a legitimate contributor. Just as a plus size model is not a "real model" a plus size designer is not a "real designer" and therefore it follows that plus size clothes do not push the envelope to become a wearable art form known as "real fashion." No wonder fashion revolves around tent shirts. There is no inspiration to be cutting edge, to experiment with new cuts, and techniques to attempt new feats of design.

I have heard it said that "the model is nothing more than a hanger for the clothes." This is a horrible pretense to begin creating from. I also find it moraly implorable. Women are people and clothes are objects. But in this statement women become the objects and the garment takes on life.

If we truly valued women in all that the word "value" entails and elicits than our views about fashion would change. We would as designers work to fit the clothes to women's bodies rather than forcing the bodies of women to fit the clothes. We would challenge the boundaries of visual aesthetic. We would challenge the science of garment construction.

A designer friend of mine always says "its easy to make clothes for skinny women because they are basically boys with bumps." this may be the root of the problem. Like all facets of society every venture has been systematically ruled by men, for men. Noting the historic examples of science and medicine, deduction and reason, the legal system and our moral climate, public policy, education and literature. All have first been geared toward men. Where there have been advancements to educate women, serve the needs of women or include them in discourse, these advancements have come from the hard labor and struggle of a few dedicated and persistent pioneers- The Feminists... The Revolutionaries.

I always wondered why a philosophically trained, sociologist would take such an interest in fashion. I questioned why I was "wasting" my time and intelligence on such a "frivolous" and "shallow" a matter as this, but now I see it is part of the struggle. I am fighting for the emancipation of our voice, our choices, of our self esteem. I am fighting against the oppression of our self worth for the emancipation of our body image.

I want to be a fashion revolutionary. Though this endeavor started out as a means to an end for my self. I see the necessity for other women to be served, who perhaps do not have the passion or creativity that I have. I have been given a gift that if I pursue will help other women stand tall, so they can go on to pursue their own gifts. Whether my name is ever known matters very little. I never sought to be rich and famous, I sought to make a difference. If I can be the one that makes the clothes or if I can inspire other designers to make a conscious effort. I know I have done my part.