Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Posted by dominie in Films, Reviews on December 3rd, 2008
We’ve got an early review for you. Timecrimes (official website), the feature directorial debut of Nacho Vigalondo, is the third film from Magnolia/Magnet Releasing’s Six Shooter Film Series. The movie arrives in limited theaters December 12th.
If you are expecting a high tech fast and furious time chase Jet Li fight a la The One or a more sophisticated H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper in Time After Time… this is different.
Don’t get me wrong; different in a good way. In his feature long directorial debut, Nacho Vigalondo doesn’t waste any time on the technology, on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’; the only thing that matters is the people. What an average man would be if he discovered he is part of a twisted time-travel plot that he himself created. What the different ‘instances’ of him are doing at any given time. And how can he fix it? With low budget but high creativity, Vigalondo was able to create not only a believable story but also a compassionate character.
Hector, played by the confused but relentless Karra Eleyade, tries everything in order to bring his life back to some glimce of normalcy, but in doing so he needs to force the events to happen and rely on hope that the result is a positive outcome. The movie soon resignates like a Matrioshka doll, with the same events nested one into each other, forcing the protagonist towards unthinkable decisions and… of course… crimes. The mechanism is twisted and halfway through the story, the plot is artifically forced in order to have all the pieces fit together.
Timecrimes provides for an enjoyable rollercoster ride, however, something that cannot escape the expert eye of a Star Trek fan with an unsurpassed knowledge in temporal anomalies is this movie sheds no new light on the matter of time travel.
–Written by Simone Bartesaghi
Posted by pete in Literature, News, Reviews on November 28th, 2008
“Young Sarah is no ordinary girl. She’s been diagnosed as schizophrenic and locked away in a children’s psychiatric ward. But that’s not what makes her special. She also has a very strange—and powerful—gift. Scientists have been studying Sarah’s remarkable psychic power for years, enhancing it, manipulating it…twisting it into something evil. But their plans have gone horribly wrong. How much longer can they control Sarah? And what will happen if her powers are unleashed?”
I was introduced to Nate Kenyon’s fiction with his first book Bloodstone. It was his first novel and I thought it was exceptional. I would not have thought it was a first novel if I did not know that before hand. Nate relies on old fashioned terror and not the explicit gore that is so prevalent today, I was extremely happy with that.
His second book The Reach again published by Dorchester Publishing hit stores on November 25th.
I was not expecting much when I first picked up the book. Young girl with powers, scientists studying and using her for their own purpose etc. It’s been done before but I was in for quite a surprise.
The book starts out with a simple enough storyline about a young girl (Sarah) locked up in a children’s psychiatry ward as a diagnosed schizophrenic. A pyschology student (Jess) is asked by her professor to see if Jess can reach Sara so she can be helped. Simple enough, but this is where it really gets good.
Sarah also has a power that has kept her locked up in there for years, the guinea pig for experiments to harness and develop her powers.
Kenyon’s writing is superb and fast paced. He leads you through the suffering of the little girl with a realism that makes you want to help her too. He also manages to throw in some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. He combines supernatural horror with science seamlessly, which I feel shows the amount of research he must have done for this book.
His characters are well thought out and developed. His writing style is believable, with a great sense of suspense that builds throughout the book until the final few chapters. This is where Kenyon shines.
The ending of this book is fantastic and powerful. In fact I went back and read the last few chapters twice, it left me breathless. One of the best endings of a book I have read in a long time.
He also leaves it where he might just revisit these characters in the future. I certainly hope he does.
If you love tense, suspensful, well written stories with apocalyptic endings this book is for you and is highly recommended by this reader.
Posted by dominie in Films, Reviews on November 21st, 2008
My feelings about Twilight have been on both extremes. Let me explain. I had no opinion about Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight the novel, prior to the first Twilight footage I saw and thought, ‘what’s the big deal?’ Just two weeks ago, I read Meyer’s novel and I loved it. If the footage didn’t phase me, the book was a ten. I readjusted my expectations, mediocre, a six. Compensated for hope that the film will be good, less, maybe a four… It was both my hope and fear to love the movie. Two really close friends of mine and I finally got to see the highly anticipated movie last night. An argument (see below) ensued and I feel it is a better representative review than I could fairly portray.
Based on the film (we’re not going to discuss the novel), Twilight is the story of a teenage girl, Bella Swan, who moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father and risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire. Continuing from our conversation after the film, my friend emailed me a review; my response is below.
After our needlessly extended argument, what I realized is we were both arguing the same side. Disregarding the book, Twilight the movie was enjoyable for what it is. Lets “keep it real” (as Billy Black would say); the movie is geared toward young teens. This allows the use of current day slangs and the over exaggerated articulation/motions to be acceptable, and can translate into entertaining.
The problem with the movie is the story seems to be told in vignettes that don’t stream sequentially. In essence, the screenplay lacked the character arcs that provide for motivation behind the characters’ intentions, most particularly Edward’s. One minute he hates Bella, the next he reveals himself in the sunlight and they’re in love. There’s a quick meet and greet the fam that jets into an under-developed climax, and a quick happy ending that is thrown in to complete the formula. I do not believe the performances are to be blamed. Pattinson and Stewart emit potential. Possibly more a lack of direction? Or no direction because the screenplay is a null platform?
The special effects were marginal, with the exception of the baseball scene (done very well). In accepting the movie for what it is however, I feel this area needs no explanation. Hands down, I’ll be the first to admit Twilight was enjoyable. Would I watch it again? Yes. I’d go see all the sequels too. Heck, its only $10! Go see it for yourself. (more…)
Posted by pete in General, Literature, News, Reviews on November 19th, 2008
People Are Strange (Signed by the Author and Artist)
Author: James Newman, lives in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife, Glenda, and their son, Jamie. His novels include Midnight Rain, The Wicked, and Animosity.
Artist: Alex McVey
Foreword by Jeff Strand
Publisher: Croatoan Publishing
1. The Honest - To - God True Story of Earl P. and A Bug Called Abraham Lincoln
2. The Good, The Bad and the Severely Maladjusted
3. Your Cold, Black Heart
4. The Tell-Tale Fart (A Parody)
5. Bless This Meal, O Lord
6. Suffer The Children
7. Keeping Up With The Joneses
8. A Town Called Hatred
9. Holy Rollers
10. Holy Rollers (Graphic-Segment)
As the title states, people are indeed strange and James Newman uses his considerable talents to point that out. There are no monsters in this book except for the human perpetrators. After all there is no species on this planet that does worse things to each other than we humans.
Nevertheless, this book is exceptional (except for the Poe parody, I personally don’t like parodies of any sort). The tales are twisted and decadent, with a perverse sense of humor liberally sprinkled throughout.
These stories are totally off the wall and fun. Newman has a style all his own that kept a smile on my face as I read these stories. My favorites were The Honest - To - God True Story of Earl P. and A Bug Called Abraham Lincoln and Keeping Up With The Joneses.
Newman also included his previously published but out of print Holy Rollers. An absolute gem of a story about what happens when that inevitable knock on the door from some religious nuts goes very bad. Newman states that this will be the last printing. He also includes a few panels for a graphic novel based on this story that never came to be.
If you like short story collections, this is one to add to your list of must haves. I thoroughly enjoyed Newman’s outlook on the human condition and all its faults and I look foward to delving into his past works.
Posted by pete in General, Literature, News, Reviews on November 19th, 2008
Author: William Peter Blatty
Artist: Bruce Haley (cover) and Alex McVey (interiors)
Page Count: 220
Pub. Date: 2008
ISBN: 978-1-58767-083-1
Publisher: Cemetery Dance
Available in three editions:
Trade Edition bound in full-cloth with full-color dust jacket artwork ($25)
Slipcased Limited Edition of 350 signed and numbered copies ($75)
Traycased Lettered Edition of 52 signed and lettered copies bound in leather with satin ribbon page marker ($250)
William Peter Blatty is synonymous with Horror, he gave us the scariest book ever written with The Excorcist in 1971, and he adapted it for the screen two years later. I read the book once and saw the movie once, and that was enough for me. I was just thirteen when I read the book and then saw the movie, gave me nightmares for months.
Now Blatty has turned his sights on the haunted house with his soon to be published novel Elsewhere.
This book is frightening. His writing paints vivid pictures of the house called Elsewhere. He proves that he still has the power to frighten the reader. The books twist and turns lead you on a grand journey into the macabre, with an ending that is both brilliant and thought provoking.
Blatty proves that a good haunted house story can still be written. Elsewhere is haunting and genuinely eerie. Though the book is short it still packs quite a wallop. Blatty’s crisp writing and characterizations will keep you turning the pages. He once again proves that there are things beyond our understanding that are truly terrifying whether it be a possessed girl or a possessed house.
If you like being scared, if you sleep with your closet door shut tight and a light on you will enjoy this book. I emphatically recommend it.
If you don’t like being scared my advice would be not to read it, you might not like what it does to you.
Posted by pete in Literature, News, Reviews on November 13th, 2008
In the spirit of Halloween Earthling Publication’s Paul Miller has been publishing signed, numbered, limited edition books for the past few years, this year is no exception.
#0: MR. DARK’S CARNIVAL by Glen Hirshberg
#1: BLOOD RED by James A. Moore
#2: THE UNBLEMISHED by Conrad Williams
#3: THE HAUNTED FOREST TOUR by James A. Moore and Jeff Strand
I was fortunate enough to purchase #1 in the series, (The first one was actually #0, Mr. Dark’s Carnival by Glen Hirshberg. but it was an ultra-short run of only 15 handmade hardcovers, which makes Blood Red Book #1 in the series.)
If you pine for classic supernatural horrors with monsters and haunted places, this series is for you. After all what is Halloween without a good monster story. And you all know how we feel about monsters here at Famous Monsters.
This year’s book is #4: MOONTOWN by Peter Atkins a novelist, screenwriter, actor and musician. He is also a friend of Clive Barker and has appeared in Barker’s theater group called The Dog Company. Atkins has also appeared in films, television and on stage as an actor. Peter is probably most famous for his screenplays for the HELLRAISER Series , including HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II and HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH. Atkins is also known for creating the screenplay for the first Wishmaster film.
“Shelley Campbell only meant to help people.
Recruited by her professor into working with a group-study program investigating phobias, Shelley has been using her ability as an empath to enter the minds of troubled patients. Within the dreamscape of their memories, Shelley uncovers their repressed childhood fears in order to help heal them.
But some fears are buried for a reason. Now, more than lost dreams are resurfacing. Something else is waking too, something dark and long forgotten, something hungry for the taste of our terror . . .
Shelley Campbell has gone too deep, has found the place where the darkness waits. A place ruled by the moon, a place where midnight lives, a place where every night is Halloween.
A place called Moontown.”‘
Just when you thought it was safe to reminisce about your childhood along comes Peter Atkins’ Moontown.
Atkins new novel is a dark joyous ride into childhood terrors come to life. The monster under the bed, the half open closet door, and the piled clothes on a chair are all potential monsters to the young. Who hasn’t suffered at the hands of a childhood monster when they were a child. But there is one catch, Atkins brings them to life.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it seemed to be lacking in some areas. It seemed to me that the horrors could have been more horrible. Moontown was a dark foreboding place and the creature was well thought out but for a flat out horror novel in Earthling’s Halloween series there seemed to be something missing. It just seemed if maybe the book was a little longer it could have been so much better.
That being said I really liked the book, the characters were interesting, the phobias of the children in the support group were well thought out and varied, and there was a twist that caught me completely by surprise.
The writing was fast paced and involving though the details could have been more fleshed out. All in all it was an enjoyable read that keeps Paul Miller’s Halloween series ranked up there as one of the best and I highly recommend it.
Posted by pete in General, Literature, News, Reviews on November 12th, 2008
Hi Mary,
First thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview for Famous Monsters Of Filmland and I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your first two books and am looking forward to more sleepless nights because of you…..
Well actually because of your writing.
Mary: Ha ha ha
Thanks. I’m delighted that you enjoyed the books. And I’m looking forward to causing more sleepless nights. 
Famous Monsters: In an email you sent me you said that your father was a big fan of Famous Monsters of Filmland growing up and you have heard about the magazine since you were a little girl. Was that your first introduction to horror and monsters? Or is horror something you were interested in at an early age?
Mary: Well, my father absolutely was an influence in my liking horror, but it took a while. He introduced me to SF classics like I, Robot and Bladerunner, Star Wars and Dune. I got a little older, he told me about the movies of the fifties that blended horror and SF, like Them and The Blob and The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the kinds of monster stories whose props could be found in Forrest Ackerman’s Ackermansion, and whose news and reviews graced the pages of one of his favorite magazines growing up, Famous Monsters of Filmland. That, I think, was the very beginning – alien stories that bridged the gap into horror. I think the monsters in my fiction still have a tinge of the alien to them.
I used to be scared of everything when I was little. Then someone (actually, it might have been my father, come to think of it) gave me the idea that maybe the monsters under my bed or in my closet or waiting to swoop in from outside my window could be tricked into sparing my life if they thought I was “one of them,” if I enjoyed the dark instead of hiding from it, and reveled in the scary stuff instead of avoiding it. So far, it’s worked. (more…)
Posted by pete in General, Literature, News, Reviews on November 12th, 2008
The Authors
Robert Eighteen-Bisang, is most famous for his large private collection of vampire literature, which is the largest in the world and is considered an authority on Dracula and vampire literature. He runs a publishing house called Transylvania Press and has a Masters Degree in Sociology.
Elizabeth Miller is recognized the world over for her expertise on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and is a retired English professor. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has published dozens of articles and six books on Dracula: Reflections on Dracula, Dracula; The Shade and the Shadow, Dracula; Sense & Nonsense, a volume on Dracula for the Dictionary of Literary Biography and A Dracula Handbook
Michael Barsanti - Foreword
To be honest, I have to tell you first that to me Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the Holy Bible of Horror Fiction. In fact the only book that has been in print longer and sold more copies is the Bible itself. I have read Dracula too many times to remember and I own about twenty versions of it in hardcover, paperback, graphic novel etc. I didn’t think anything could compare to this timeless story until I received my review copy of Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition in the mail.
My hands were literally shaking as I read through the pages and saw the photos of Bram’s handwritten notes. With the novel right beside me I went back and forth between the two books, comparing, researching and just having a hell of a time putting myself in Bram’s shoes so to speak. It was a wondrous experience that I will never ever forget.
The Holy Grail has been found and we all have a chance to drink from it. (more…)
Posted by pete in General, Interviews, Literature, News, Reviews on November 4th, 2008
“What is the Hollower? At times it can look like a man in a black coat and a black hat. But it’s definitely not a man. It’s not human at all. Its sole purpose is to stalk, to torment and to drive its victims to their deaths. It can sense each victim’s weaknesses, change its appearance and strike however it will hurt the most, physically…and mentally. Dave Kohlar is a man racked with guilt, doubt and worry. The perfect prey. He’s about to learn exactly what the Hollower is—and how it feeds.”
To tell you the truth, I had never heard of Mary SanGiovanni until I received her first novel The Hollower a few months back from Dorchester Publishing, home of Leisure Books. I am a member of their Horror book club and receive two new horror paperbacks every month. It is a great deal and has introduced me to a lot of new authors.
The cover and title of the book were intriguing. When I read the synopsis on the back, I thought…hmm this sounds interesting.
I finished the book in three fright-filled nights.
What jumped out first and really allowed me to live within this story were Mary’s characters. I can’t remember reading a first novel where the characters are so fully realized. The interaction between each other and the fictional world Mary created is engrossing and believable. You really feel for these people and what they are going through. To me that is where a great writer separates themselves from the rest.
Mary’s provocative prose and haunting imagery kept me turning the pages at a furious pace. Her voice is distinctly all her own, yet far beyond her short career as a novelist. She pulls no punches and hits you in the guts with heart wrenching fright, unrelenting images and nightmarish landscapes. Her descriptive language allows you to feel and see the places she writes about, to live in her fictional world and experience the same things her characters are feeling.
She created a creature of immense power that feeds on our insecurities and self-doubts. We all have them and now we know that something can use them to hunt us down.
Just when you think it’s over and it’s safe to be alone again Mary drags you back into her terrifying vision with Found You.
Right out of the gate, she grabs you by the throat with a first chapter that literally left me shaking. She wields words as a blacksmith wields a hammer, with authority and precision. Her storytelling is polished and sharp, evocative and horrifying.
Yet, she summons the power of restraint like a seasoned craftsman. She stays away from the over the top explicit gore and gruel that permeates much of today’s horror. She has enough faith in her talents and in her reader’s perceptions that she does not have to.
Mary SanGiovanni is a writer to watch and has cemented herself as force to be reckoned with in Horror Fiction, she is far too good at such an early stage in her career. The future looks bright for Mary and for those of us who love to lie awake at night wondering if that was really a voice we heard.
If you have not had a chance to read Mary’s books, do yourself a favor buy them, borrow them, or however you get them, read them. You will not be disappointed.
“Found you.” Those two simple words were like a death sentence to Sally. She recognized the voice, straight from her nightmares. The grotesque thing without a face, the creature that thrived on fear and guilt, had nearly killed her, like it had so many others. But it was dead…wasn’t it? Sally is about to find out that nightmares can become real, that your deepest secrets can prey on you, and that there’s nowhere to hide…for long.
In the small town of Lakehaven something has arrived that can’t see you, hear you or touch you, but it can find you just the same. And when it does, your fears will have a name.”
Book covers and text courtesy of Dorchester Publishing
www.marysangiovanni.com
Interview with Mary SanGiovanni
Posted by robert in Events, General, News, Reviews on October 21st, 2008
I have not been neglecting my Famous Monsters post. No, on the contrary. I have been in a maddening frenzy gathering artisans from all walks of life who are of like mind. Why? For future projects, properties and events coming to you from FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. I am proud to announce, I am hard at work orchestrating the creation of the official FM FEARBOOK 2009. A celebration of 50 years of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND and a world of imagination. The book will debut at, ready for this? The FAMOUS MONSTERS FILM FESTIVAL. More on that as we confirm guests and films.
The Fearbook is a celebration for ALL who revere a good imaginative tale, be it on celluloid or print. Be it with ghosts, demons, man made monsters, Giant Bugs, whichever you prefer. This fearbook and website is for you. The fearbook will look back to our celluloid past as well as glance towards the future. Where will the future of monsters be? That can only be answered by the artist of tomorrow. Which brings me to the last chapter of the Fearbook.
THE FUTURE OF FM.
I am seeking 50 young artists who would like submit original work for possible publication in the 2009 book.
These are the RULES.
1: the artist MUST be below the age of 21. I DREAM of receiving art from some aspiring 5 year old. ANY LITTLE ARTISTS OUT THERE?
2: NO splatter horror art, NO Nudity, or general junk
3: Please include your age, name and City/State/Country
4: ALL submissions are via email, please no photocopies or originals through the mail.
5: Our DEADLINE is December 31st, 2008
6: NO Digital artwork, photoshop and the like. We want pencil, crayons, markers, ink, paints ANYTHING, but digital
7: The artwork must capture the essence of the past, yet lead us towards the future.
CAN YOU DO IT? OF COURSE! So, kids, get to work.
Send me your emails
I will be selecting a handful of artists to be featured within the pages of the FEARBOOK. The remaining artists will be featured HERE on the OFFICIAL F.M. site.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Signed, your neurotic and demanding Art Director gentleman
Robert Aragon
We’ve got an early review for you. Timecrimes (official website), the feature directorial debut of Nacho Vigalondo, is the third film from Magnolia/Magnet Releasing’s Six Shooter Film Series. The movie arrives in limited theaters December 12th.
