The second way to kill a werewolf

Monster Squad. I really shouldn't have to say anything else. For those poor unfortunate souls that are not familiar with the movie, I shed a tear. I never thought I would see the day where I could own The Monster Squad on DVD. That day has come, on my birthday even.

It was with some trepidation that I slipped the DVD in the player, pushed play and sat back to view the movie once more. It had been a very long time since I had watched the movie, and I was afraid it would not live up to my wonderful remembrance. I'm glad to report that I needn't have worried. The film is still a great time for the monster lover and kid in me. With hindsight I can now see the great impact this one movie has had on me, my writing in particular and my preference for all things monster related. I have an unfinished movie script (problems with the third act) that I worked on just a couple of years ago and I can see how much of an homage it is to The Monster Squad.

Some people may tell you the effects are somewhat dated, the dialog in parts is silly and the story doesn't make much sense. I say that Dracula drives a black hearse with a silver skull hood ornament, Mummy's in my closet and Wolfman can survive being blown to bits by dynamite.

So, am I in the club or what?

Sometimes the bear eats you

I need to write. I haven't been able to write for almost two weeks now due to various reasons. The end of this week doesn't provide much hope. I think I am going through withdrawal.

I have made slight updates to my journal regarding the Fabric of Night, but that is not enough to whet my appetite. I know one thing for certain.

When Monday rolls around I WILL write.

Shoot me if I don't.

To live...and breathe...and fight...again

The Mighty Thor returns! Thor is back in his own comic book starting over with #1. Thor has been MIA for a while because of the whole dying and Ragnarok (End of All Things) happenings. Now Thor is back, but he's not alone. Dr. Blake is back as well. You see, Dr. Blake was banished to the void by an Odinspell. When Thor finds himself in the void he meets Dr. Blake and they have an understanding. And since it is for mortals to say whether the gods exist or not, Thor has returned.

Overall it was a good first issue. Thor's new duds are not far removed from his original ones and it's nice to see the whole Dr. Blake thing returning for a spell. The art by Olivier Coipel is perfect and his Thor looks very Norse. J. Michael Straczynski is writing and he did a bang up job as well. I feel that Mr. S. has a hit or miss quality about him and wasn't fond of his treatment of Spider-man, big fan of Babylon 5 though.

Action Comics #851 came out as well which continues the Richard Donner plotted Superman story. I am really digging it but it seems like the last part of this story came out at least a month ago. What's the deal? I may just have to wait for the inevitable hardback collection.
Oh yeah, for those wondering, it's a girl.

More than meets the eye

Not a very original title, I know. Hope everyone had a happy fourth of July. Mine was good. I spent time with in laws, had good barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs, and watched fireworks from just a few blocks away from where I live. America the beautiful, est. 1776, and liberty and justice for all!

On Tuesday I caught the new Transformers movie at the cinemaplex. I know a lot of critics have been down on the movie but I truly don't understand the geek backlash. A similar thing happened to the TMNT movie earlier this year (which I also enjoyed immensely). Sure, the autobots and decepticons have been tweaked a little and a few of the jokes were downright stupid, but I thought it's heart was in the right place. Most of the movie was genuinely funny. The robots were all awesome. The action was bayrific (terrific) and what you would expect from the master of mayhem known as Michael Bay. Would I appreciate a more solemn approach to the Transformers mythos? Probably, but the movie is fun, exciting, and funny. I can't wait to own the DVD. Oh, and Optimus Prime rules!

A rat by any other name

Saw Ratatouille yesterday. One of the best movies so far this year. Of course, Pixar can do no wrong so that was expected. This is certainly more adult then the other Pixar flicks but there are cornucopias of things that the kids will find amusing as well. Most of the characters this time are human and there really isn't a kid type personality but for Remy, the rat, but he's more of a teenager. Most kids won't understand the fascination with food but the parallels are there for other things. The need to create; paint, sing, write. Perseverance is key. Just ask the little chef.
The music is great as well. Not sure who does the score but it's Mancini like.
Ah, Paris.