Ok so last week I went to the Chiller Theatre convention in Parsippany NJ to see some friends and meet some new people. I've been going to this show since 1999 and its always in NJ, a state that I absolutely loathe. I loathe NJ not because of the people but mostly due to how the state is laid out for transportation. You can't make left turns, there are 7 lanes on the NJ Turnpike and if you're in the wrong lane you could end up in NYC before you know it, or worse, Bayone.
I had to leave the show Saturday night due to working on Sunday. I say my goodbyes at 10pm and head out. I know I need gas but my lucky GPS tells me there is a plethora of stations near by. I pick the closest one and head towards it. I pull into the station, boom, the lights go out! Shit! I yelled, oh well must have hit the one thats closing up now. I pick the next one about another mile down the road. I pull into that one, closed! I'm starting to think a conspiracy is afoot and the state wants me to stay. So I hit the next one, closed; the next one, closed. Son of a bitch I exclaim. At this point i'm 7 miles south of the convention and nowhere near the interstate. So I get on the Interstate and head south, figure the closer I am to I-78 the better my chances are. I pick another station right off the exit < mile from the exit. I get off the exit, its fucking closed again!
At this point I'm fuming, everything is closed, there is absolutely nothing around that is open and its only 10:30. I stop at a Friendly's and ask the nice young ladies that are working that every gas station is closed and I need gas, now! One of the young ladies actually gets in her car to drive down the street to see if its open. She comes back and says its closed. They decided to send me about 8 more miles down the road to a station they know is open. They wish me luck and I'm on my way.
Thank god, a gas station that is finally open. I have to think at this point I was pretty much on E and couldn't make it any further. I find out from my GPS that i'm 20 miles south of the convention but also 4 miles East of where I originally drove from. Thank you NJ for making it even more difficult to get gas on a Saturday night. To the people of NJ, i'm sorry your state is the way it is, I really think you should either stage a coup and push to be able to pump your own gas as well as make these stations stay open longer!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Bits of Flesh...More than a name.
There's a more then just the obvious reason I named this blog "Bits of Flesh." Yes, I love zombie movies, but also, this blog was created because I'm putting parts of me out there to the inter webs to share with everyone.
A good friend said to me recently, "Matt, we are all "just a guy." When you have something to say that people want to hear, it doesn't matter who you are. Take advantage of it!" We were discussing my showing up on the Japanese poster for Survival of the Dead and that "I'm just a guy and who would want to hear about me and what I've done." Norman is a very wise man and I've followed his advice for the past 11 years and it has helped me become who I am.
So the main point of this particular blog is to open up a little more about myself and how the past year has shaped me and how I've taken advantage of it.
I'm sitting on my deck on a beautiful spring day. The coffee is fresh and warm, the sun is shining, my neighbor is building a shed and I'm jamming to some country on my iTunes. At this point last year I would have been sitting inside and being miserable at what my life had become. I was ready to change everything and everyone in my life, point blank, I didn't want to be where I was and wanted to be somewhere else. Last year was miserable and I was ready to change every single thing about my life and myself. In the past 2 days I've done more work and laughed more then I had probably in 2 months last year at this time.
Spring time is a time for renewal and this year I took advantage of it more then I ever had in my life. I'm happy, and doing something about it. Instead of just doing nothing but talking about doing stuff I'm being active and finally doing the stuff I've put off doing since 2008. I feel more accomplished and satisfied with what I've done in the last 6-7 months then I ever thought I could.
Norman has been on my butt about my "just a guy" thing. But I still think I am just a guy and who would want to hear what I have to say. I have found in the last year that I have a ton of friends who would want to hear what I have to say, good, bad or indifferent. I love them for that. They include the Drunken Tentacle crew, Skip and the Qwee, Lisa and Paul and without everyone I have mentioned, I wouldn't have made it through last year. Thank you all, I love you all very much. For everyone else that I didn't mention above trust me, there are many, your words of advice and stern talks have made an impact, I thank you more then you could ever imagine, I love you too.
Not all of these blogs will be this intimate, I have a problem with putting some of my feelings out there in fear of them perceived as hokey or too cliche or whatever. I have to get past that and just go for it. Believe it or not I'm a very private person about my feelings and thoughts on stuff and I'm sure some of you are surprised by that but vocalizing some of my feelings comes hard for me.
So I close with the feeling of success and being more comfortable with using this as a vehicle for more intimate revealings about me.
PS: Norman, thank you!
A good friend said to me recently, "Matt, we are all "just a guy." When you have something to say that people want to hear, it doesn't matter who you are. Take advantage of it!" We were discussing my showing up on the Japanese poster for Survival of the Dead and that "I'm just a guy and who would want to hear about me and what I've done." Norman is a very wise man and I've followed his advice for the past 11 years and it has helped me become who I am.
So the main point of this particular blog is to open up a little more about myself and how the past year has shaped me and how I've taken advantage of it.
I'm sitting on my deck on a beautiful spring day. The coffee is fresh and warm, the sun is shining, my neighbor is building a shed and I'm jamming to some country on my iTunes. At this point last year I would have been sitting inside and being miserable at what my life had become. I was ready to change everything and everyone in my life, point blank, I didn't want to be where I was and wanted to be somewhere else. Last year was miserable and I was ready to change every single thing about my life and myself. In the past 2 days I've done more work and laughed more then I had probably in 2 months last year at this time.
Spring time is a time for renewal and this year I took advantage of it more then I ever had in my life. I'm happy, and doing something about it. Instead of just doing nothing but talking about doing stuff I'm being active and finally doing the stuff I've put off doing since 2008. I feel more accomplished and satisfied with what I've done in the last 6-7 months then I ever thought I could.
Norman has been on my butt about my "just a guy" thing. But I still think I am just a guy and who would want to hear what I have to say. I have found in the last year that I have a ton of friends who would want to hear what I have to say, good, bad or indifferent. I love them for that. They include the Drunken Tentacle crew, Skip and the Qwee, Lisa and Paul and without everyone I have mentioned, I wouldn't have made it through last year. Thank you all, I love you all very much. For everyone else that I didn't mention above trust me, there are many, your words of advice and stern talks have made an impact, I thank you more then you could ever imagine, I love you too.
Not all of these blogs will be this intimate, I have a problem with putting some of my feelings out there in fear of them perceived as hokey or too cliche or whatever. I have to get past that and just go for it. Believe it or not I'm a very private person about my feelings and thoughts on stuff and I'm sure some of you are surprised by that but vocalizing some of my feelings comes hard for me.
So I close with the feeling of success and being more comfortable with using this as a vehicle for more intimate revealings about me.
PS: Norman, thank you!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Convention Season 2010
I write this as I am finalizing my plans and stuff to head to my second horror convention in as many weeks. I realize that I'm sitting here in an almost faded Dawn of the Dead tshirt I got back in 1999 that has seen more miles then most people's cars. This is my 12th year of going to conventions since stumbling upon them back in 1999.
Of course it started out just like anything else, something new and exciting and I had to be at everyone. Well I couldn't be at everyone but I tried to make it to everyone on the East Coast. At first it was to meet celebrities and the icons I grew up watching in all those late night horror film marathons and VHS tapes sitting on my shelf. Getting star struck at some of the greats, Kane Hodder, Tom Savini, Ken Foree and of course the man himself George A. Romero. Some of my first encounters were very brief because I could barely find the words to express
my utter fascination with their work and the fact that they were so approachable.The people working in the horror genre know who they are and how the characters they have portrayed are held in such esteem by the fans but they don't let that get to them, at least when in front of the fans. Being able to walk up to some of the greats in the genre is an awe inspiring feeling and having them converse with you makes going to these conventions worth it.
After a year years I pretty much had met everyone I wanted to. Now I go to conventions to see the people that I have befriended from these events, celebrity and non-celebrity alike. I have made some of the best friends in the world over the last 12 years because of conventions. Two of them from Canada, Rob & Glena are 2 of the most fantastic people in the world and any chance to see them is jumped on. They're just like me, they've been to so many and have met just about everyone that conventions are a time for reconnecting and having fun.
If it weren't for them and alot of the other people I've gotten to known and befriend, Chris Roe, Ken Foree, Greg Nicotero to name a few I wouldn't have the memories to share with my son who I hope will appreciate these events as I have when he starts to get older. I also have to thank my wife who started out not understanding what these were or what the purpose was but has since grown to love them as most of the people signing autographs do so now for her and not me...makes ya wonder?!?!?!?
I love these things. Little sleep, forgetting to drink, too much alcohol and too much money spent are great ways to end a stressful work week and get recharged until the next convention that comes down the pike.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Remakes, Reboots & Reimaging, Oh My!
Ok I recently saw The Crazies, a remake of Romero's 1973 film of the same name. And that got me thinking about my stance on these remakes/boots/imaginings that is coming out of Hollywood.
First off, I hate a remake or whatever you want to call it for the sake of cashing in on a big name franchise or cult classic. For those of you who know me, refer to my thoughts on the Dawn of the Dead "remake."
If you're going to remake a film, then you best bring something to the franchise or film that wasn't possible or thought of before. So let me get on my soapbox and point out what I think are the differences in a good remake, reboot & reimaging and how they should be used:
Remakes:
The only true remake I can think of is Psycho 1998. That film is a shot for shot remake of Hitchcock's film. That is a true remake. A remake brings nothing new to the table but new actors and some new effects maybe but leaves everything else the same. The premise stays the same, the characters stay the same and nothing is changed. So you might as well stick with the original.
Reboots:
Batman Begins is a reboot. Its an origin story but also has provided something new that previous films didn't show us. We see Bruce train to become Batman and the path that took him there. We got a new villain, new supporting characters (whether they were good or bad is your opinion and another blog all together) as well as new effects. Rebooting a franchise is introducing a new generation to something new or taking a stale product and breathing new life into it. Spiderman is apparently going through a reboot just like the comics did 2 years ago with "One More Day" which effectively erased the last 22 years of continuity. Rebooting something isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means that someone has a fresh perspective and idea to bring to the franchise. Usually a franchise reboot is because it has not had a sequel or anything for quite sometime.
Some are saying that Terminator Salvation is a reboot. It is not a reboot. It is a sequel to the first 3 Terminator films, in essence Terminator 4. Its a new direction, not a reboot, a reboot would have been seeing the first Terminator film through the Terminator's POV instead of Sarah's.
Reimaging:
Hollywood's newest term to cash in on a name.Reimaging is a studio handing over control of a franchise to a new director and saying "here ya go, have at it." If you're going to remake/reboot something this is the road you want to take. My favorite case in point: Rob Zombie's Halloween.
Like it or hate it, this blog is not about that but what Rob Zombie did with it.
The original Halloween is loved and revered by many and to "remake it" like it was at first touted by Rob Zombie many were appalled others were intrigued. I was part of the latter. My distaste for remakes is well known but I'll give someone the benefit of the doubt if its going to be something different. Zombie's Halloween didn't let me down.
In the original Halloween, John Carpenter used skillful camera work and story telling to make the boogeyman come to life and treated The Shape (Michael Myers for those who don't know) into a real life, babysitter stalking boogeyman. Rob Zombie took the opposite route and showed Michael Myers as a raving lunatic.
I will first differentiate the 2 films by calling Michael by his name because in Zombie's film he was Michael Myers and not so much the boogeyman as in Carpenters. Carpenter's film portrayed The Shape as an enigma, something lurking in the shadows waiting to strike. Carpenter's film, he is an idea, something people are afraid of. Zombie's film he is a man, totally devoid of humanity.
Carpenter's film begins with little Michael (who will become The Shape) killing his sister and cuts to 15 years alter. We only see a little boy with a 1000 yard stare on his face holding a bloody knife. This is very effective story telling, we don't know the why we just know he's going to trouble. Zombie takes a different road and to me, this is why his film stands alone and is a good "reimaging."
The Michael in Zombie's film seems to be a little boy in a troubled home, who loves his baby sister and lost in the shuffle and picked on by mom's boyfriend and older sister. We see Michael's savageness in that he kills and tortures animals and viciously beats a bully to death in the woods. The creep factor is in that not just the acts of violence but the look on Michael's face, its blank, void of emotion and humanity. We then see Michael's infamous murder rampage on the night of Halloween. Zombie then shows up Michael hold up in Smith's Grove and how he slowly, over time pulls back more and more into his own head and loses all contact with humanity. We see snippets of his life inside Smith's Grove, including the treatment of him by some of the orderlies. We also see that there is one person that actually cared for him and that Michael seemed to care enough for that he never wanted to hurt. But that turns out to be a rouse and when Michael kills him you realize that he is not a human being but has totally succumbed to his own madness.
Zombie took the basic premise and put his own spin on it and did some with some passion for the source material. But then again, Zombie was screwed either way. He is the type of director that you either love him or hate him. With him doing a remake of such a loved character he was destined to be vilified and people would pick apart the film, which they did.
Rob Zombie did what he was supposed to, put his own ideas into an established franchise run with it. People don't have to like the film but Zombie did what you're supposed to when reimaging something and I think if you're going to "reimagine" something, take a look at his take on Halloween and go from there
First off, I hate a remake or whatever you want to call it for the sake of cashing in on a big name franchise or cult classic. For those of you who know me, refer to my thoughts on the Dawn of the Dead "remake."
If you're going to remake a film, then you best bring something to the franchise or film that wasn't possible or thought of before. So let me get on my soapbox and point out what I think are the differences in a good remake, reboot & reimaging and how they should be used:
Remakes:
The only true remake I can think of is Psycho 1998. That film is a shot for shot remake of Hitchcock's film. That is a true remake. A remake brings nothing new to the table but new actors and some new effects maybe but leaves everything else the same. The premise stays the same, the characters stay the same and nothing is changed. So you might as well stick with the original.
Reboots:
Batman Begins is a reboot. Its an origin story but also has provided something new that previous films didn't show us. We see Bruce train to become Batman and the path that took him there. We got a new villain, new supporting characters (whether they were good or bad is your opinion and another blog all together) as well as new effects. Rebooting a franchise is introducing a new generation to something new or taking a stale product and breathing new life into it. Spiderman is apparently going through a reboot just like the comics did 2 years ago with "One More Day" which effectively erased the last 22 years of continuity. Rebooting something isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means that someone has a fresh perspective and idea to bring to the franchise. Usually a franchise reboot is because it has not had a sequel or anything for quite sometime.
Some are saying that Terminator Salvation is a reboot. It is not a reboot. It is a sequel to the first 3 Terminator films, in essence Terminator 4. Its a new direction, not a reboot, a reboot would have been seeing the first Terminator film through the Terminator's POV instead of Sarah's.
Reimaging:
Hollywood's newest term to cash in on a name.Reimaging is a studio handing over control of a franchise to a new director and saying "here ya go, have at it." If you're going to remake/reboot something this is the road you want to take. My favorite case in point: Rob Zombie's Halloween.
Like it or hate it, this blog is not about that but what Rob Zombie did with it.
The original Halloween is loved and revered by many and to "remake it" like it was at first touted by Rob Zombie many were appalled others were intrigued. I was part of the latter. My distaste for remakes is well known but I'll give someone the benefit of the doubt if its going to be something different. Zombie's Halloween didn't let me down.
In the original Halloween, John Carpenter used skillful camera work and story telling to make the boogeyman come to life and treated The Shape (Michael Myers for those who don't know) into a real life, babysitter stalking boogeyman. Rob Zombie took the opposite route and showed Michael Myers as a raving lunatic.
I will first differentiate the 2 films by calling Michael by his name because in Zombie's film he was Michael Myers and not so much the boogeyman as in Carpenters. Carpenter's film portrayed The Shape as an enigma, something lurking in the shadows waiting to strike. Carpenter's film, he is an idea, something people are afraid of. Zombie's film he is a man, totally devoid of humanity.
Carpenter's film begins with little Michael (who will become The Shape) killing his sister and cuts to 15 years alter. We only see a little boy with a 1000 yard stare on his face holding a bloody knife. This is very effective story telling, we don't know the why we just know he's going to trouble. Zombie takes a different road and to me, this is why his film stands alone and is a good "reimaging."
The Michael in Zombie's film seems to be a little boy in a troubled home, who loves his baby sister and lost in the shuffle and picked on by mom's boyfriend and older sister. We see Michael's savageness in that he kills and tortures animals and viciously beats a bully to death in the woods. The creep factor is in that not just the acts of violence but the look on Michael's face, its blank, void of emotion and humanity. We then see Michael's infamous murder rampage on the night of Halloween. Zombie then shows up Michael hold up in Smith's Grove and how he slowly, over time pulls back more and more into his own head and loses all contact with humanity. We see snippets of his life inside Smith's Grove, including the treatment of him by some of the orderlies. We also see that there is one person that actually cared for him and that Michael seemed to care enough for that he never wanted to hurt. But that turns out to be a rouse and when Michael kills him you realize that he is not a human being but has totally succumbed to his own madness.
Zombie took the basic premise and put his own spin on it and did some with some passion for the source material. But then again, Zombie was screwed either way. He is the type of director that you either love him or hate him. With him doing a remake of such a loved character he was destined to be vilified and people would pick apart the film, which they did.
Rob Zombie did what he was supposed to, put his own ideas into an established franchise run with it. People don't have to like the film but Zombie did what you're supposed to when reimaging something and I think if you're going to "reimagine" something, take a look at his take on Halloween and go from there
Friday, February 26, 2010
Convention Season!
I'm sitting here in my den looking at all of the George Romero collectibles that I have come to acquire over the last ten years and I've come to remember that in 2 weeks, convention season for me begins anew.
This will be my 12th year attending horror conventions and it still never gets old. At this point there is hardly anyone left on my list to meet. I've met and have had the great fortunes of becoming friends with a lot of the people I grew up watching on the old VHS tapes. I can't even put into words how awesome my life has become because of the horror industry. I know how weird that must sound, but if you're reading this then you know what type of person I am.
Everyone has their escapes. The beach, the mountains, a museum etc, mine is a convention or hotel filled with 2000 horror fans and horror icons. Nothing pumps me up more then spending 72 hours surround by horror goodness. Most of that time is spent hanging out with friends, browsing the dealers rooms, Q&A sessions, movie screenings oh and drinking. I didn't even mention food because I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten to eat and come to realize that at 8pm I've been up since 7 and haven't eaten.
In 2 weeks I'll be in Cherry Hill NJ at Monster Mania. I'm going to hang out with friends and see Dario Argento and Corbin Bernsen. Corbin and I need to continue the film discussion we had at Horrorfind. Corbin has this idea for a futurist zombie baseball film. WHAT?!?! Trust me, it'd be worth the price of admission. Dario Argento will be there too, damn! I drove 8 hours to see him in Toronto a few years ago and loved the 45 seconds I got to see him and I want to get some more swag signed by him.
The following week is the inagural Saturday Nightmares in Jersey City. This is a pure Romero festival. Everyone from Romero himself to every pivotal figure in his films will be there. Roy Frumkes is debuting his "Definative Document of the Dead." He's been working on this for a while, since 2005 I believe. If all goes well you should see my mug pop up in that doc in a place or too (thanks Roy!). I'm taking Reeve who will be meeting George for the first time. Reeve loves him some Ken Foree & zombies so this'll be extra special for me.
Anyone wishing to attend these shows or any conventions please let me know I have 12 years of tips, tricks to make sure you have an awesome time. I love this shit!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Iteration 17294531
Ok so this is dedicated to all of those people who we know and work with that say "I stopped watching LOST in Season 1/2 because it got too weird/confusing." There will be minor spoilers, but if you're one of the people I'm writing about you won't get the joke or reference....but you will.
First off let me preface this by saying LOST is not a show for everyone. It requires weekly viewing from the start to finish of the season. It also requires repeated viewing due to all the complex relationships and hidden easter eggs thrown in each scene for us die hards.
Now, if you're one of those reading this and going, the show is too weird or why should I bother, i'm so far behind. Go and buy seasons 1-5 now, they're worth it plus you can probably knock through all 101 episodes in about a week, trust me, you can do it, i've done it.
Every episode of LOST in the first 3 seasons raised a fair amount of questions (don't worry I won't spoil it for those waiting to see how it ends when all the dvds come out). Season 4 started to answer those questions as well as ask more such as do they get off the Island? Are they dead? What/Where is the Island? As well as my favorite, what's up w/ that 4 toed statue? Each and every one of these questions is relevant to overall mythology of the show and that is what makes LOST so intriguing.
From the start the show was geared toward those not wanting instant gratification or quick, easy answers just for the sake of it. This is a serialized show. Our grandparents and parents had to go to the movie theaters every Saturday for this type of action, now it comes into our homes in HD. The show is not just about the Island or what the people did off of it before Oceanic 815 crashed. Its how they deal with their situation and poses questions like, is this our destiny and can you really start over after a horrific event like a plane crash?
Now is the time folks. For those of you who have waited until the end, go get caught up with the first 5 seasons. The 6th season will be out on dvd in August so you will only have to wait a little over 2 months after the finale to see how it all ties together. The creators have promised us the most important and intriguing questions will be answered and we as fans won't be disappointed.
PS: You'll only get the joke that is the title of this blog if you've seen the show.
First off let me preface this by saying LOST is not a show for everyone. It requires weekly viewing from the start to finish of the season. It also requires repeated viewing due to all the complex relationships and hidden easter eggs thrown in each scene for us die hards.
Now, if you're one of those reading this and going, the show is too weird or why should I bother, i'm so far behind. Go and buy seasons 1-5 now, they're worth it plus you can probably knock through all 101 episodes in about a week, trust me, you can do it, i've done it.
Every episode of LOST in the first 3 seasons raised a fair amount of questions (don't worry I won't spoil it for those waiting to see how it ends when all the dvds come out). Season 4 started to answer those questions as well as ask more such as do they get off the Island? Are they dead? What/Where is the Island? As well as my favorite, what's up w/ that 4 toed statue? Each and every one of these questions is relevant to overall mythology of the show and that is what makes LOST so intriguing.
From the start the show was geared toward those not wanting instant gratification or quick, easy answers just for the sake of it. This is a serialized show. Our grandparents and parents had to go to the movie theaters every Saturday for this type of action, now it comes into our homes in HD. The show is not just about the Island or what the people did off of it before Oceanic 815 crashed. Its how they deal with their situation and poses questions like, is this our destiny and can you really start over after a horrific event like a plane crash?
Now is the time folks. For those of you who have waited until the end, go get caught up with the first 5 seasons. The 6th season will be out on dvd in August so you will only have to wait a little over 2 months after the finale to see how it all ties together. The creators have promised us the most important and intriguing questions will be answered and we as fans won't be disappointed.
PS: You'll only get the joke that is the title of this blog if you've seen the show.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Lost in 24
In anticipation of another LOST episode tonight. This is how LOST would look if the producers of 24 got a hold of it
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