Me As Pop Art

... OR "Am I That Bald As A Cartoon?"

To The Guillotine!!

No, this isn't a cry for George W. Bush's head. There's not much in it worth cutting off and putting on a spike anyway.

This is a review of Marie Antoinette... quite possibly the worst film this year (even if I did walk out on All The King's Men - Marie Antoinette gets extra points for being annoying).


Yes, I know Kirsten Dunst is always cute and tasty (or so I hear), but this one stinketh. Read my rant over at Monsters & Critics...

Frank's Scathing "Marie Antoinette" Review

To be fair, other nominees for the suck of 2006:

All The King's Men
The DaVinci Code
Keeping Up With The Steins
Renaissance
X Men: The Last Stand
Monster House
Clerks II
Hollywoodland

First Habeas Corpus, Next Freedom Of Information

As many of you know, yesterday started the new order of America. With Bush signing his terrorism bill, anyone designated as an "enemy combatant" (presumably by a representative of the new fascist regime), can be held without habeas corpus or even knowledge of what they are being tried for. As pointed out by Edward Gomez at sfgate.com:

"Now, technically, as in Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler's Germany, Mao's China or Pol Pot's Cambodia, anyone labeled an "enemy combatant" - again, by whom; by Bush? - can be whisked away and never heard from again. That kind of authority, in the hands of corrupt or untruthful politicians, may or may not be an effective tool in some kind of "war on terror," but it certainly can be a useful tool when it comes to silencing their opponents."

Now our department of Homeland Security is targeting the internet's free exchange of information.

It's no big secret that the government has been trying to get their mitts on the web. So far, corporations have been monopolizing things for them. But this current climate of fear could lead Chertoff to police our emails and blogs.

"That'll never happen in America", you say? I point out yesterday's travesty as evidence that it can and is happening.

See how Chertoff is trying to scare us into thinking the internet is a breeding ground for terrorism HERE.

Now for some of my favorite points of Bush's War of Fear signing yesterday (from Reuters):

"With the bill I'm about to sign, the men our intelligence officials believe orchestrated the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent people will face justice," Bush said.

Still playing the 9/11 card, he is. Well, it is an election year.

"It is a rare occasion when a president can sign a bill that he knows will save American lives," Bush said. "I have that privilege this morning."

Yet, Bush has cost more human lives than the events of 9/11. True, a good deal of those are Iraqi lives, so I guess he still gets to go to Heaven.

Bush signed the bill in the White House East Room, at a table with a sign positioned on the front that said "Protecting America."

Didn't Carl Rove and his goons learn from the "Mission Accomplished" screw up? You know when Bush flew on to the aircraft carrier declaring the war in Iraq had been won?

Guess what. We're still at war and the target of such hatred in the world, "Protecting America" can only be some kind of sick, ironic joke.

For the full story of how Bush has yet again stripped us of our rights as Americans, click HERE

Hit In The Head With A Plane

The upside of restless nights (like the one I experienced yesterday eve) is that you have some whacked out dreams...

"I was sitting in my car at a busy commuter airport when I saw a Gulfstream jet get torn apart in the sky. Not explode. Torn wing from wing. The tail section spun wildly towards me. I prepared for the worst by ducking.

The tail section hit my car, causing a perfect cartoon dent in the roof (think Wile E. Coyote running into a shovel). Right into my head. I survived, but was hit in the head by a plane of all things.

I left my car in a bit of a stew. I had been hit in the head with a plane, yet I could get no one to call my friends and family to let them know. They were all too busy with the wreckage of the Gulfstream ("The third one to go that week", my dream said to me.)

"Hey, you're bleeding."

"I know! I got hit in the head with a plane!"

Then I woke up.

Another Fine Author

Yesterday, we received wonderful news. CAITLIN KIERNAN, weaver of dark fantasies like Silk and the collection Tales Of Pain & Wonder, kindly agreed to be a part of the Lovecraft documentary.

I'm looking forward to sitting with Caitlin in January. She was also kind enough to mention our project in her blog. Her new book, Daughter Of Hounds, will be available from Penguin soon (though you can put your pre-order in now through Amazon).

Will Direct For Food

I love Terry Gilliam! Last week he took to the streets of New York to personally shill his new film TIDELAND. Check out the video of his campaign HERE


As an indie filmmaker myself, I understand the quest for funding. This Lovecraft documentary involves a lot of personal investment. It is more than a little fun, though. Speaking of which... anyone want to contribute to the arts? -- Not you, Mom & Dad. You've done enough. ;-)

We're getting ready to go to New York on November 7th. There we will interview author Peter Straub and Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi. Mr. Straub was kind enough to offer his home as a location. We're still not sure where we'll interview Mr. Joshi, though. Anyone want to contribute a space in New York? You'll get to rub elbows with a not quite so young up and comer.

WARNING: A brief political rant follows!

I'd comment on the report of 600,000 Iraqi deaths since Bush's junta began, but that would be a downer ending.

But I must say, "Fuck, McCain, for jumping on the "blame Clinton" bandwagon. Wasn't it Bush's buddy John Bolton that once told Iran and North Korea to "take a number" after our Iraq boondoggle? Hardly the rhetoric an ambassador should be spouting. Where do you think Johnny get it from?

And who do you think Crazy Kim is responding to? Dubya or Bubba?

Hail Cthulhu!!

Just returned from the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland. We interviewed noted horror author Ramsey Campbell, theologian / horror writer Robert Price, and festival founder Andrew Migliore.

Andrew has been increasingly helpful in supporting the documentary. He arranged the interviews for this weekend. At the fest, we (Bill & myself) met plenty or artists (Lee Moyer, artist of the poster above), filmmakers (Mariano Baino, DARK WATERS), and the legion of Lovecraft fans who all voiced their support & interest in a Lovecraft doc.

All in all, it was quite a productive weekend. Thanks to Andrew, Bill, Forrest (our cameraman) and, above all, Ramsey and Rob.

For those interested, check out the links for each of these people.

Ramsey Campbell

Robert Price

Andrew Migliore / Lurker Films

Lee Moyer

Mariano Baino

I'm going to bed now with the comforting notion that Bush is keeping us safe from an insurgency of hatred he created while allowing North Korea to test their first nuclear weapon.

Yeah, I feel about as safe as if the Old Ones had returned to feast on our souls.

There's Too Much... Let Me Sum Up.

So much has happened since last I made an entry here. In the spirit of catching up, allow me to go through a checklist of occurrences... in no particular order...

1) We (that means my partners of old Bill Bigboote and Jim Myers) have started production on an independent documentary titled LOVECRAFT: FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN. The piece will focus on the life, work and mind of H.P. Lovecraft. This man is the father of modern horror and weird tales. In many ways, he was Poe's successor. If you've ever heard of the Cthulhu mythos or the Necronomicon... they were both created by this man.

What started as a DVD featurette for RE-ANIMATOR took on a life of its own. Celebrated and award winning writers and filmmakers all agreed to speak on camera about Lovecraft. Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, Guillermo Del Toro, Stuart Gordon, S.T. Joshi, Ramsey Campbell and Robert Price. It was a shock when this roster of A-list talent failed to convince Anchor Bay to pony up the conservative budget. That's when I decided to make it myself.

We've interviewed Del Toro and Gaiman. I'm off to Portland tomorrow to interview Campbell and Price at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival (yes, he even has a festival).


Neil Gaiman proved to be a delight. Not that Del Toro was anything but pleasant. It's just when you meet your idol (as Neil Gaiman is to me), they sometimes fail to measure up. They are just people, after all. Gaiman was the glowing exception. He was generous with his time and talent. The documentary shall benefit greatly.


Del Toro did show us maquettes and artist renderings for his planned adaptation of Lovecraft's AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS. For all Lovecraft fans out there, I have only this to say. Del Toro has nailed it on the head! Please, please, please allow this film to get made.

More soon...

2) Since I mentioned Anchor Bay, allow me to update. With Liberty Media buying them and sister company IDT Entertainment, there has been a slow down. This is to be expected when a corporate takeover takes place (and is probably why they dragged their feet on LOVECRAFT).


This means DVD featurette production has slowed down and the anemic things they've assigned to convince Crest to keep our team employed fails to inspire.

This is too bad since MASTERS OF HORROR ended on such a high note. The last "Working With A Master" I produced was on director William Malone (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, FEAR DotCOM). Bill Malone is a monster kid just like me and it was a pleasure making his tribute. He was very appreciative of the job I did. Thank you, Bill.


Equally appreciative was good ol' Bob Burns. Bob is one of the foremost collectors of movie props and costumes in Hollywood. He has the original Time Machine and an alien from each ALIEN movie. That only skims the surface. He also owns the original King Kong!

Bob was also one of the top ape actors in the biz. Remember THE GHOST BUSTERS? Not Bill Murray. Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch. Bob Burns was Tracy The Gorilla. Bob gave the William Malone piece "Two Gorilla Thumbs Up!" That is the highest rating I could ever hope for.


After MOH, I did a featurette for CFQ's THE DARKROOM. Mark Altman is the man who runs the CFQ empire (including Cinefantastique magazine). He has been producing low budget horror flicks for some time now. His productions are the best of all. Here are his kind words about the featurette I did for him:

What I really liked was that it's entertaining but informative. It's not just a bunch of b.s. It delves into the various facets of the script and the filmmaking and it's not just fluff which DVD promo material so often is. I think when the fans start posting reviews when it comes out you'll be gratified by the result. -- M.A.

Let's hope he's right about the fans.

What's next for me at Anchor Bay? I shudder to say it. Remember the breakdancing craze that blipped in your local theater? It was the heady days of the 80s and BREAKIN', BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BUGALOO and BEAT STREET did their best at representin'. Sadly, I won't be doing anything for any of these films. The steaming pile that AB scooped up is the Lorenzo Lamas opus BODY ROCK.

BODY ROCK? It was an actual breakdancing movie. AB wants to do a VH1 style look back at breakin'. You know those shows like "Top 10 Celebrity Break Ups" where they have a bunch of comedians you've never heard of throwing in their two cents? It will be like that, but with comedians who are greatly talented and should be known by everyone. Now if they'll only return my calls.


3) Kinoscope finally launched. This is my short film podcast. Short films from around the world brought to you by Kinoscope. You can go to www.kinoscope.net if you want to check out the films. We do have a talented line up and I hope to continue. If you know anyone with a short film who would like to participate, let me know.

BFOFILMCO has had a facelift. There is now a DVD Spook Show section that allows you to see clips from the MOH featurettes. Just click on the box art and see what I've been doing with my time. www.bfofilmco.com

4) You may have noticed I've steered clear of politics so far. I was saving the best for last. Besides... what can one say in the face of our civil liberties being stripped away by fascist neo-Christians trying to grease their way to rapture with Iraqi oil?

What's sad is we're inspiring other countries to do the same. What Israel did in Lebanon was deplorable and the U.S. just let it happen. In some ways it was our way of waging war against Iran (and vice versa) using Israel and Hezbollah as puppets. The first week of incursion was understandable. Hezbollah did breach Israel's border and kidnapped soldiers. By Week 3, however, Israel lost the high ground.

Then we have this "torture bill" of Dubya's that wants to do away with habeas corpus. Imagine a world where you can be detained and never be told what your crime is. Kafka did and I think he meant to warn us when he wrote of K.

There's also the war crimes indemnification that Bush is seeking. Am I the only one who thinks that "Get Out Of The Hague Free" card is meant for our soon to be ex-Prez?


Then we have this current scandal with Congressman Mark Foley. Putting the heart of his controversy aside, it has turned over a few neo-Christian rocks. Check out these words of tolerance from Paul M. Weyrich, head of the Free Congress Foundation:

"Homosexuals are obsessed with sex."

This is brought to you by the man who founded the Heritage Foundation and who lobbies "to influence the appointment of social conservatives and religious right judges to the federal bench".. I'm both shocked and awed, but if I'm horny to the point of obsession, does that mean I'm gay as well?

And then as I go to post this blog, Arch Emperor Bush plans to defy Congress and our civil right yet again by saying he has the power to edit the Homeland Security Department's reports about whether it obeys privacy rules while handling background checks, ID cards and watchlists. Read this http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061005/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_privacy

This President has lied to us, put us in harm's way, wasted our nation's surplus and environment. And they impeached Clinton for a blow job. Somebody please lock these people up!

On the plus side, I recently saw the documentary WHY WE FIGHT. This is a modern spin on Frank Capra's WWII propaganda masterpieces where we look at how the military-industrial complex has gotten out of hand. Originally when outgoing President Eisenhower warned us of this, he wanted to call it a military-industrial-CONGRESSIONAL complex. That's right! As guilty as Bush is, Congress is just as culpable. Rent this film!


5) Movies have been especially blah this year. I know. What's new? To be fair, it takes a while from the time Hollywood realizes their product is shit and the time new, improved movies arrive. I'm hanging in there because I love film so much. Here's the best of 2006 so far:

THE DESCENT
BRICK
UNITED 93
HARD CANDY
EDMOND
INCONVENIENT TRUTH
THE U.S. vs JOHN LENNON
THE ILLUSIONIST
TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE LEGEND OF RICKY BOBBY
SLITHER
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
CARS
SUPERMAN RETURNS

That's all for now. I will write with more when I can. That means I'll see you in a month. ;-)