One of the things I love about living now, as opposed to any other time, is there has never been such a glut of material for people with my particular set of interests.  I am referring, of course, to geeks.  You all know one, you all love one, why deny it.

The biggest movies produced these days are geek movies.  There’s an unprecedented amount of great comic books being produced.  Gaming, and tech, and web series.  There’s just so much to love out there.

I hope that everyone has a glorious Thanksgiving and gets their om nom nom on in a hardcore fashion.  Don’t eat anything I wouldn’t eat, you hear?

This is a holiday that means a lot to me because it represents an idea that crosses all creeds, races, and ideas.  Taking a moment to simply ponder what we’re grateful for in life.  How can you go wrong there?

I would just like to say that I am thankful for my friends and family.  I am thankful for the vast international community of people that I have gotten involved with.  I am grateful for the chance to enjoy my hobbies so much, and embrace every chance wholeheartedly.  I am grateful for the gift of imagination, and the chance to be creative.  It is the joy of my life, and my passion.

What are you thankful for?

“There are no words.”
- Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 2, Issue 36

Eric would have gotten a kick out of the fact that I started this with a quote from a comic book . . .

That simple line, in the story, is uttered by our protagonist upon seeing the destruction on September 11th, 2001. The sheer emotional punch of that moment shut up even the most effusive of all comic book characters. I think it sums out how we all felt then.

It sums up how I’ve felt these past few days. Like a certain wall-crawling comic book character I’m not usually at a loss for words, but I don’t even know where to begin now. Not on this subject. I feel like I’ve been punched in the heart. One of my best friends has died.

On the evening of Thursday November 19th, my Trip co-host Ryan King called me, clearly emotionally and left me an urgent message telling me to call him back as soon as possible. When I finally got back to him he gave me the terrible news. Our friend and co-host, our brother, Eric Martin passed away in his sleep on November 18th 2009, a victim of a massive heart attack. He was only 36 years old.

Those who knew him will tell you how much of a benefit to the comic book fandom community he was. He hosted three podcasts (The Trip, DC Noise, and Comics Playground). He was active in The Comic Forums and would very often participate as a guest host on other podcasts.

I knew him well enough that I will always remember the conversations and laughter we had. Talks that stretched long into the dark hours of the night (us both being night owls). DC Comics . . . progressive rock . . . Battlestar Galactica . . . Doctor Who . . . The Prisoner . . . The Venture Brothers . . . . Even thinking of them now brings a lump to my throat.

The few of us that were privileged enough to know him truly well can tell you of a true friend. Someone who was always there for you. Who you could disagree with (and we disagreed about many fundamental things) but never fight with. They will tell you of his love for his little daughter, whom he adored more than anything.

I hope she knows that. Even as time fades the memories of their time together, I hope she knows just how much he loved her.

And that is Eric Martin. That is my friend. I cannot put it any other way than that, because as I said at the beginning, there are simply no words . . .

. . . no words but these. We love you Eric, and we’ll miss you.

Rest in peace.

A short while ago I was informed that Eric Martin, one of my best friends, and co-host on The Trip died last night in his sleep from a massive heart attack.

I’m still in shock, so I will not say much now. There will be more later.

I just wanted to say of my friend . . . I love him and miss him.

The Alligator People
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Wild Oranges
The Flesh and the Fiends
I Walked With a Zombie
Mad Love
Undead
Cabin Fever
Zombieland *
Tales of Terror
Isle of the Dead
American Psycho
Earth vs. The Flying Saucers
I Sell the Dead
The Wicker Man
Phantasm
I Married a Monster From Outer Space
20 Million Miles to Earth
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (although technically a TV special)
The Mystery of the Wax Museum
Suspiria
John Q
Vampyr: Der Traum des Allan Gray
Morsure (Bitten) #
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Teeth
The Black Room
The Man They Could Not Hang
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror (DVD Compilation of TV Episodes)

* Movies seen in theaters
# Short films

Let the Right One In
2008
Directed by Tomas Alfredson

Of this film, IMDB says the following, “Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire.”

Sounds simple, but it is so much more, and I cannot think of a more appropriate film to finish up the Halloween Season on. This is a horror film done right, with appropriate creepiness, sympathy, and cleverness.

In the world post-Twilight it is so refreshing to come across a truly innovative and intelligent vampire film. I hear that Hollywood plans to make an American version, but that simply isn’t necessary, as I don’t think they could improve on what is here simply by putting American actors in the roles.

I give it five spooky pumpkins out of five.

And with that last gasp, I close out the Halloween Horror Countdown for 2009. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I always do. We now return you to your regularly scheduled website.

Teeth
2007
Directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein

This is a horror film where the monster is sex. Normally in horror films the monster shows up after the teenagers have sex.

Jess Weixler plays a teenage girl who, while in an attempted rape, discovers she has the mythical condition known as vagina dentata, a toothed vagina. I’ll let that sink in for a minute . . . . a toothed vagina, people!

This was a film that managed to make me genuinely uncomfortable in parts. Maybe it was all the onscreen severed penis. Yeeeeeeeeesh!

The movie would not have worked without Jess Weixler in the lead role. She manages a sincerity that helps make what could have made an incredibly silly and stupid movie actually work.

It’s hard to believe that she could have gotten all the way to high school without even the most basic of geinocological exams, but if you give into that kind of thinking the entire conceit of the movie falls apart.

I give it four spooky pumpkins out of five.

The Black Room
1935
Directed by Roy William Neill

Boris Karloff plays a deranged baron who murders his twin brother in an attempt to steal his identity. He is successful at first but is undone by his brother’s loyal dog.

Never screw with a man and his dog.

I give it one and a half spooky pumpkins out of five.

The Man They Could Not Hang
1939
Directed by Nick Grinde

In the second Boris Karloff film of the night he plays a Doctor who invents a mechanical heart which could lead to virtual immortality. While experimenting with it though he is interrupted and the patient dies on the table. He is arrested for murder and hung. Later, his assistant is able to revive him using the mechanized heart. Then the vengeful doctor goes on a spree of revenge.

The main strength of this film is Boris Karloff. The main weakness is its abrupt ending.

I give it two and a half spooky pumpkins out of five.

Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror

This was a DVD collecting a bunch of the random Simposons Halloween episodes and it represents many of the best, including The Shinning.

Don’t you all remember when the Simpsons was funny? These are nice memories.

“There’s nothing to fear but that fog that turns people inside out.”

I give it four and a half spooky pumpkins out of five.

Vampyr – Der Traum des Allan Grey
1932
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

This film is very old and very nearly silent. I’m going to call shenanigans on one point right out . . . a significant portion of this film is a guy sitting there reading a book about all the cool interesting vampire stuff you’re NOT seeing on screen. For shame!

The excessive quiet works to it’s advantage in the scenes where things do happen though, as it gives a sense of true isolation.

There’s some truly remarkable effects done entirely with shadow here, particularly one scene that I have absolutely no idea how they did considering the year. It had to have been stand-in’s, a cut, and a lighting change we can’t notice. It had to have been . . .

I give it two spooky pumpkins out of five.

Morsure (Bitten)
2007
Directed by David Morlet

This was a short film from France that played at Sundance. Christian sent me a link to it online (you will be able to watch it on youtube) I’m assuming because it reminded him of when we filmed Conversations at the End of the World. Crazy times. My mom was not happy that I drenched the basement in Christian’s blood (it was fake, I swear).

Anyway, this 13 minute long film was a fairly conventional zombie piece, but well produced.

I give it three spooky pumpkins out of five.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
1966
Directed by Bill Melendez

Perfect! My childhood alive.

Five spooky pumpkins out of five.

The Mystery of the Wax Museum
1933
Directed by Michael Curtiz

Let’s just all degree that wax museums are creepy, shall we?

I give it one spooky pumpkin out of five.

Suspiria
1977
Directed by Dario Argento

This is considered one of the classics of the horror genre, undeservedly so I’d say. Sure, it’s atmospheric, but that’s about all it is. I found myself getting lost in the story, which had to do with a witches coven based in a ballet school.

High point was seeing someone killed by falling into a pit of razor wire.

I give it two spooky pumpkins out of five.

Cine-Rama is back with a brand new episode!

Cine-Rama Podcast Episode 28 – A Damn Fine Cup Of Coffee

Christian and Keith sit down once again with special guest Eric Martin (DC Noise, The Trip, Comics Playground). In this episode they discuss Twin Peaks, the seminal television show from David Lynch and Mark Frost. No backwards talking dwarves were harmed in the making of this episode.

And now links:

US Special Forces are field testing a medical plasma knife which could be the first step towards me actually getting a lightsaber. http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2009-10/us-special-forces-field-test-plasma-knife

The amazing! The crawling! The disgusting! The blob robot! http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2009-10/cronenbergian-blob-bot-ready-roll-or-rather-ooze