Wednesday, July 3, 2024
As the World Comes Apart ...
As the world comes apart at the seams (with suffocating inflation, children forced into sex slavery and another world war looming), my "peers" are content to criticize an actor's Superman suit for a movie that's still in its rough phases. For the sake of their global views, their quips are at best pyrrhic and bound by a typical, uninformed arrogance that makes me want to pound them into the ground.
Listen, there's nothing wrong with offering an "opinion," dishing up a reflective blog or being passionate or concerned about an artistic venue, a beloved character or editorial view, but such ad-nauseum, unsubstantiated, cry-baby, day-after-day, retreaded denouncements and exaltations on either the "profound" or the "whimsical" aren't endearing or helpful. They're irritating, to the point that I believe Bill Shatner summed it up best when he said,
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
CLINTFLICK'S RAWK AND ROLL: SOUNDS FOR A SWELTERING SUMMER
Michael Ferentino and Mangabros have merged to form Clintflick. Clintflink's efforts represent (at least to my ears and mind's eye) the summer ... the advent and core of a raw, raucous summer.
The album, Rawk and Roll, captures the season with harsh sincerity, each phase conjuring scenes and moods that tap a palpable and sweltering sector.
"CF Skrog" is the prodding instigator, where a bodacious beat and dialing murmur lures one into the allegorical flames. Ferentino can be heard within the track's heart, singing slices of "Dancing in the Streets." But this cover doesn't stoke the fun of Jagger and Bowie, but rather an ominous descent, a troubling haze, a wretched worry and maybe, just maybe, the advent of war.
This belligerent surge is pushed even further by the brilliant segue, "Stiltedhumpskin," a bouncing tune that begins with a chic groove, but the settlement is Boorman's Deliverance, Hill's The Warriors and Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13. A modern western opens, of merciless voyage and attack, of frightful fortification and switchblade rap. It's a disguised, bemoaning, horror movie mounted through the trenches of (un)reality.
"Eunuchopia" is that shivering reduction that comes when one begs for lenience. Within the forbidding, sacrificial, guitar chords, one swaps virility for a tight, fetid corner, watching, waiting like a scared rabbit, until the dark dust clears.
"Hummer Infinitrum...Vacuum Mob" represents the dawn, but even though the sun shines, it just beams more mechanized doom. Ferentino whines; the sounds grind. The heat increases, and to worsen matters, the atmosphere is now mobbed and militarized, with each opposing philosophy discharged from every torturous angle.
The weather report predicts a "Mushroom Slider." The heat has slid under one's skin, and now beeps and curls in one's head. One exists as a streak of dripping perspiration, exploding/imploding high and low, the result of a tough transmission spewed from an uncaring, bureaucratic blow. One hears a foreign tongue. Nothing makes sense, and yet everything does. It's the end of the world, and it sure as hell won't be fine.
One searches for help, for clarity, and lo and behold, there she stands at the alley of Madness & Divine, a Corman-concocted beauty who's swaying configuration offers something cool, but her head--her damn face--has melted away! It's too late! The "Wasp Girl" has passed her bait, and the result is venereal hell.
One can only hobble away, itching to an adopted "Germ Song." Yes, one is infected, and the unceasing sun bakes that infection in. Taunting babies cry, encouraging the electrified, bass-bound sting to spread, but who (beyond its evident host) wants the magnanimous sweat?
In the inadvertent "New Church of the Anti-Everything," the answer rings clear. Summer is an all-contemptuous virus that everyone must catch. One can only bow before it, not as a eunuch or warrior, but rather as a common victim with a deep, parched heart. And with this, Clintflick's chanting, nihilistic hymn thuds through the slumlord halls of fear, instilling another scorching day and inside that, another thirsty prison.
There's no better way to experience the summer than consuming Rawk And Roll. Make it your seasonal soundtrack, your blistering adage, your survivalist creed:
https://orcd.co/rawkandroll
Monday, July 1, 2024
RAVENWOOD, STEPSON OF MYSTERY #5: AVAILABLE NOW!
Airship 27 Productions' Ravenwood, Stepson of Mystery Vol 5 (the 300th title released by the venerable, New Pulp company) is selling well, allowing the occult detective to gain more exposure than ever before.
For the latest volume, there are three fables included: Dexter Fabi's novella, Dervish in the Night and two short stories, Carson Demmons' "The Past Repeats Itself, but There is More than One Past" and Michael F. Housel's "A Devil by Any Other Name." The volume's moody, cover artwork is by Adam Shaw and the captivating interiors by Sam Salas.
Airship 27 has done a commendable job reviving Frederick C. Davis' crimefighting mystic. In fact, the resurrection has been so successful that there are now more Airship 27, Ravenwood yarns than Davis penned back in the 1930s, when the character acted as a unique "filler" for Secret Agent X.
Airship 27's Ravenwood, Stepson of Mystery volumes can be "channeled" through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, among other reliable retailers. For those who fancy spinetingling tales of ethereal intrigue, Ravenwood will definitely please. Give any volume a try, and you'll see!
CLOSE ENOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND: FANDANGO RE-RELEASE
Steven Spielberg's extended, director's cut of Close Encounters of the Third Kind returns to theaters, courtesy of Fandango, on July 7 and 10.
CE3K became a smash hit for Columbia Pictures upon its 1977 release. Its popularity has only grown over the decades, positioning it as one of cinema's all-time greats.
The story of obsessed, Indiana lineman, Roy Neary, portrayed with everyman charm by Richard Dreyfuss, traveling to commune with extraterrestrials at Devil's Tower, Wyoming, has been an ongoing inspiration for fans. It succeeds by combining elements of One Step Beyond and The Twilight Zone and is reinforced by Spielberg's quality concept and smooth direction, Vilmos Zsigmond's illuminating photography, John Williams' angelic score, and Douglas Trumbull and Carlo Rambaldi's awe-inspiring, special effects.
In addition to Dreyfuss, the cast is spot-on, highlighted by Teri Garr, Belinda Dillon, Cary Guffey, Roberts Blossom and Francois Truffaut (among others), who give the proceedings a sometimes anxious yet overall heartfelt sense of cosmic wonderment.
To see CE3K again on the big screen will be a tremendous treat for its many faithful fans and movie buffs in general. Check local listings for theaters and showtimes.
HEROINE HEAVEN #5: SPIDER WOMEN UNITE!
AC continues to publish some of the best, superheroine stories from the past in the heralded (All Good Girls Go To) Heroine Heaven.
The fifth, all-color installment commemorates a trio of amazing spider-themed avengers from the 1940s. As such, readers are (re)introduced to Frank Borth's The Spider Widow, Marie Severin's Spider-Woman & Elsa Lisau's The Spider Queen. It's interesting that these quixotic crusaders existed decades before Stan Lee's seminal, Spidey creations. (Their influence on Peter Parker and company is, therefore, irrefutable, and as such, comic fans should be forever indebted to the preluding web they wove.)
The eye-catching cover was rendered by AC publishers Mark & Stephanie Heike, which does a praiseworthy job combining the characters. This image alone makes Heroine Heaven #5 an essential for any Golden Age aficionado.
Here's hoping that good ol' AC keeps these nostalgic compilations coming. And for what it's worth, #6 isn't far behind, with (as its vibrant cover conveys) another great team-up in store. Hot diggity!
In the meantime, Heroine Heaven #5 can be purchased at any number of comic shops and online vendors. (I ordered mine through Steve's Comic Relief, Quakerbridge Road, Village Commons, in Lawrenceville, NJ: an ideal hub for all things fantastic!)
MR. MURDER: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF TOD SLAUGHTER (BRITAIN'S FIRST HORROR STAR)
Hemlock Book's Mr. Murder: The Life and Times of Tod Slaughter (The Biography of Britain's First Horror Star), by Denis Meikle, Kip Xool and Doug Young, is a comprehensive exploration of one of cinema's best (yet too often overlooked) actors.
What's impressive about Meikle, Xool and Young's text is the bracketing of actual excerpts from Slaughter's unpublished memoir, the details of which bolster and solidify the narrative, making it as reliable as possible.
As the biography conveys, Slaughter began his career on stage, helming the Grand Theatre, where he enacted a successful version of Robin Hood and later, The Elephant Theatre, where he presented a hardy, Christmas run of Robinson Crusoe. However, with the advent of John Barrymore's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (soon followed by Lon Chaney Sr.'s curious efforts), Slaughter's penchant for the macabre reached successful fruition, both on stage and in cinemas.
Slaughter's most noted submission, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (based the Sweeney Todd legend) is essayed at length, but also such lurid productions as Murder in the Red Barn, The Face at the Window, The Greed of William Hart, Crimes in the Dark House, Strangler's Morgue (aka Curse of the Waydrons, inspired by the notorious Spring-Heeled Jack), as well as Slaughter's ongoing stage performances, which included the popular run, Jack the Ripper.
In addition, the authors analyze Slaughter's acting style (a personable approach that he perfected on stage and extended into movies), pointing out that, unlike Slaughter's British peer, Boris Karloff, he never portrayed monsters per se, but rather villainous men with monstrous inclinations.
Slaughter's career deserves rediscovery and further reverence. The authors' satisfying, 283-page offering is a step in the right direction, not only for its excellent communication, but because of its rare photos, posters and lobby cards. However, be warned: Mr. Murder isn't meant for those who prefer their information sparse and fleeting. Unlike competing biographies or historical overviews, this one is scholarly and nuanced to the maximum degree. In other words, Mr. Murder does Mr. Slaughter justice, and its curators must be commended for a considerate and thorough discourse.
Mr. Murder can be purchased in either hardback or paperback at Hemlock Books.
https://www.hemlockbooks.co.uk/Shop/category/7
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