R.I.P. JULIAN MCMAHON

You embodied one of the most notorious villains of all time: Marvel's Dr. Victor Von Doom in The Fantastic Four 2005 and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer. 

Your suave coolness was so well suited to this iconic antagonist, but it also filtered into a number of your other characters, including Jonah (the Magistrate) on Marvel's Runaways, Dr. Christian Troy on Nip/Tuck, Cole Turner/Belthazar on Charmed, Ben Lucini on Home & Away, Ian Rain on Another World, Lionel McCarthy on Hunters, Australian Prime Minister Stephen Roos on The Residence, Agent John Grant on Profiler and Jess LaCroix on FBI, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. 

In addition to the popular, Fantastic Four set, you achieved cinematic success with Monster Party, Bait 3D, Premonition 2007, Paranoia, Childhood's End, Red, Faces in the Crowd, Rogue, You're Not You, Exchange Lifeguards, The Surfer, Swinging Safari, Meet Market, Magenta, Chasing Sleep, Prisoner, and The Supremes at Earl's All You Can Eat. 

Your departure was premature, Mr. McMahon, but your biding work will always influence, thanks to your sophistication, solemnity and (as Dr. Doom often exuded) commanding verve. 

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

EIGHTH TOWERS' THE ERASERHEAD. MUSIC INSPIRED BY THE FILM OF DAVID LYNCH

David Lynch's Eraserhead is an extraordinary, dark and surreal venture, which has been dissected and ruminated upon since its advent in 1977. 

Eighth Tower Records has commissioned a fantastic, industrial tribute to the movie, entitled The Eraserhead. Music Inspired by the Film of David Lynch, compiled by various, avant-garde artists who touch upon the creation's themes of isolation, loneliness and vexing, parental responsibility (in this case, for one of the most unusual babies ever conceived). 

The tracks are as follows, with artist listed on the left and titles on the right:

1) Grey Frequency ... Lapelle's Factory

2) Adi Newton ... Contra Ciel II

3) Oubys ... Meta Video Dub

4) Richard Begin ... the factory makes erasers

5) Sonologyst ... Silent Dinner 

6) Kabra ... Behind the scenes

7) Mario Lino Stacata ... Man in the planet

8) Mark Hjorthoy ... The Lady's Radiator

9) Wahn ... Labyrinth Man

10) Macrogramma ... Thermal Subconscious

11) Bruno Dorella ... Radiator Folies

12) 400 Lonely Things ... Dear Hearse

13) Nikos Sotirelis ... Metamorphoses

The results of this special curation touch everything one could imagine and desire for an Eraserhead salute, taking the movie's textures to new Lynch-ian heights, as well as into their dank, factory-grimed bowels.  

The Eraserhead. Music Inspired by the Film of David Lynch is, without question, an ideal accompaniment for one's melancholic heart, and it can (and should) be preordered on CD and download at 

https://unexplainedsoundsgroup.bandcamp.com/album/the-eraserhead-music-inspired-by-the-film-of-david-lynch

WISE WORDS:

MR. LOBO'S CINEMA INSOMNIA: SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT, THIS SATURDAY

 

It's Christmas in July this Saturday night (July 5) on Twitch, OSI74/Roku and Amazon Fire, with a reshowing of Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia's 2023 Naughty Christmas/Xmas Special. (The preshow commences at 10 pm.) 

Produced by Troma's Lloyd Kaufman and directed by Theodore Gershuny, who cowrote with Ira Teller and Jeffrey (The Sentinel) Konvitz, Silent Night, Bloody Night is revered not only as a pioneering Christmas, horror picture, but one that holds a noteworthy cast, which includes John Carradine, Patrick O'Neal, Astrid Heeren, Walter Abel, Philip Bruns, Jay Garner, James Patterson and sexy, cult-film sensation, Mary Woronov. 

Along the warm, Yuletide way, the movie takes shameless stabs at Psycho (with an arguable, Empire Strikes Back catch), bumping off a couple of its leads early, as they occupy an old mansion/former asylum where madness and carnage prevail, thanks to a shadowy fiend who flaunts the moniker, Marianne. Why does Marianne kill? Well, the answer lies in that age-old motivator ... back-story revenge!

To wrap the carnage in sardonic joy, Mr. Lobo (equipped with a Grinchy Necronomicon) leads an all-star, Cinema Insomnia roster, featuring Miss Mittens, Countess Bloodsuger (Jessie Seeherman), Sally the Zombie Cheerleader (Nicole King), Yella Fever (Eric Sabo), filmmaker (and Silent Night, Bloody Night connoisseur) Michael Verrati and the laser-disc-loving puppet with a huge heart, Igor (Ben Stansbery), who sprinkle enough cynicism on the proceedings to make any unreformed Scrooge sigh with sadistic respect. 

No ifs, ands or buts about it, Cinema Insomnia's Naughty X-Mess Special: Silent Night, Bloody Night is a gruesome, "misunderstood" gift to open any time of the year; so be there this Saturday night to do just that!

PINUP TIME: LINDA HAYDEN

FAREWELL, MICHAEL MADSEN

Your participation in a movie meant it was going to be good, for you never shared yourself with the lame and/or soft. Even if the subject matter was light on the surface, your fans could always count on you to make your portions nice and rough: the best form of cinematic "poetry" one could aspire to achieve or find. 

And among your voluminous titles, one can find a ton: Reservoir Dogs, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Hateful Eight, Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2, Outlaw Johnny Black, Blueberry, Wyatt Earp, Cole Younger and the Black Train, Species, Species II, Die Another Day, Sin City, Green Lantern: First Flight, Batman: Book of the Dead, Frankenstein 2004 (USA pilot), Monster Mash, BloodRayne, Vampires Anonymous, The Bleeding, Infected, Forest of the Living Dead (aka The Forest), UKM: The Ultimate Killing Machine, Terror Trap, Conjuring: The Book of the Dead, Spirit Riser, Scary Movie 4, Lumberjack Man, House 2008, Lady Psycho Killer, The Chronicles of Narnia 2005, Croc, CobraGator, Megalodon, Piranhaconda, Grindhouse Nightmares, Unbelievable!!!!!, Arena Wars, When the Devil Rides Out, WarGames, Shark Games, Major Baxter, Flipped, Straight Talk, The Sorrow, Prince of the City 2012, Prince of the Air, Day of Redemption, Desperate Endeavors, Dirty Dealing 3D, Along the Roadside, Hoboken Hollow, Mulholland Falls, Donnie Brasco, The Doors, Kill Me Again, The Killing Time, Blood Red, Red Line, Racing the Moon, The Last Days of Frankie the Fly, The Killing Jar, Sacred Blood, The Big I Am, Death in the Desert, Skin Traffik, The Maker, The Natural, Shadows in the Storm, Iguana, Against All Hope, Thelma & Louise, Fatal Instinct, The Alternate, The End of Innocence, Shadows in the Storm, Inside Edge, Final Combination, The Getaway 1993, The Ghost 2001, Chasing Ghosts, A House in the Hills, Trouble Bound, Outlaw, The Wrong Neighbor, Money for Nothing, Free Willy, Blue Tiger, Felidae, The Lion of Judah, Eldorado, Season of Change, The Girl Gets Moe, The 5th Execution, Ace of Spades: Bad Destiny, Diamond Cartel (aka The Whole World at Our Feet), The Ninth Cloud, Not Another Not Another Movie, Rough Draft, The Florentine, Detour 1998, Hangover in Death Valley, The Thief and the Stripper, Vice, Break, Ides of March, Choke, Extreme Honor, Pressure Point, L.A.P.D.: To Protect and Serve, The Last Drop, 42K, My Boss' Daughter, Bikini Inception, Pauly Shore is Dead, Being Michael Madsen, L.A. Dicks, All In, Crash and Burn 2008, The Real Deal, Machine, The Covenant, Afghan Knights, Last Hour, Cosmic Radio, Serbian Scars, Krach, Vigilante Diaries, Eyes Front, Water Wars, No Deposit, The Brazen Bull, Dead on Time, Rock Paper Scissors, Max Dagan ... and South of Hope Street.

If that's not extensive enough, you also helped steer a hefty line of television shows, including 24, Powers, Big Brother, CSI: Miami, MTV Cribs, Tilt, Celebrity Ghost Stories, Master of Photography, Real Detective, Those Who Can't, Trailblazers, The Boonies, The Bronx Bunny Show, Real Rob, Emigratis, Hawaii Five-0 (revival series), Bob's Burgers and on a recurring basis, 2 Hopeful Spinsters, The Mob Doctor and Golden Boy.

You drew audiences in and ensured they'd remain enthralled, Mr. Madsen, having accomplished more than most could ever attain or imagine. And damn it, you still had more to give, but the good Lord took you away to perform upon Heaven's stage. Perhaps we'll see you perform again someday, and if we do, there's little doubt we'll find your work as robust and fulfilling as it was here on Earth.