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:
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. ;-)
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. ;-)
posted by FHW | 10:50 AM
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