New issue of Rogue Cinema is imminent....

The new issue of Rogue Cinema (January 2007 WOO!) will be online around 2 AM Eastern tomorrow morning. It's looking like a good issue and I look forward to seeing what my fellow Rogues have written! Once the new issue is online, I'll post about it here. Just thought I'd throw a teaser out there to ya before the issue became available. ;-)

I'm getting ready for my last night at the video store. Working two jobs is a pain so I'm calling my beloved part-time job quits. Besides, I don't enjoy it nearly as much as I used to and I don't want to work on any holidays. (Having payed holidays definitely spoiled me. ;-) In other news, I'm officially caught up on my bills for this month (though the next volley is already arriving), so hopefully 2007 will be a profitable year for yours truly. I hope to actually have a bit of a nest egg to fall back on for any reason and I plan on paying off at least one of my loans. Call it a New Year's resolution if you will. (My true New Year's resolution is to stop being such a lazy fat-ass! LOL!)

Well I've gotta run, blog ya later folks!
See you next year! (Man aren't you sick of hearing that?!)

THE HOST

I finally got my copy of Joon-ho Bong's "The Host" in the mail today and I've just watched it and well... DAMN WAS IT GOOD! All the critical acclaim is well deserved for this multi-genre film. "The Host" follows the exploits of a dysfunctional family that bands together to rescue their youngest member from the clutches of a ravenous, giant, mutant tadpole/amphibian/reptile monster (brought to life by some pretty impressive CGI) that is allegedly a HOST for a deadly virus. The monster gets a pretty good chunk of screen time, but isn't really the focus of the story. The film mainly focuses on the interaction of the family members in their quest, how they deal with their losses, and their constant run-ins with misguided health, police, and military officials. I refuse to give much more away about this fantastic film, but rest assured that I will write reviews for it at both Rogue Cinema AND The B-Movie Film Vault! Yes folks, this movie is so damned good that I'm going to write about it twice! It truly deserves it! Oh yeah, you may be wondering where I got this movie? Well I grabbed one off E-Bay from a seller in China. The disc was Region 0 and contains a beautiful, clean, widescreen transfer of the film, 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, extremely good English subtitles, and a gorgeous slipcover that goes over the DVD case! Definitely worth the money and the wait! For those that don't want to buy it, you can see "The Host" in theaters on March 9th ... I think. I'll let you know for sure once I remember! That's all for tonight b-movie fans! Catch ya on the flipside!

Christmas... the Aftermath.

Hey all! I'm back from my girlfriend's house and boy did I get a ton of stuff... mainly clothes, but I'm at the point where I welcome a ton of clothes to wear with enthusiasm. However, that doesn't mean that I didn't get some cool stuff as well. Here's the treasure trove of DVDs that I got as a gifts and/or purchased with Christmas money and Best Buy gift cards:

Spirited Killer (Thai action/comedy/thriller with brief appearance by Tony Jaa)
Mikadroid: Robokill Beneath Disco Club Layla
The White Gorilla / Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
The Hidden / The Hidden 2
The Mummy Collector's Set (Contains: The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Scorpion King.)
The Descent (Original Unrated Cut - Widescreen with Bonus disc!)
Strange Brew
Sound of Horror
Super Inframan Special Edition
Jackie Chan's First Strike / Mr. Nice Guy
Rumble in the Bronx / The Corruptor
and Ultraman: Series One Volume 2!

Not a bad haul eh?
To make my day even better I discovered that my long-awaited DVD of "THE HOST" is now at my local post office (no one was home to sign for it) so I'm picking that up tomorrow afternoon before work. Sadly, Day of the Animals didn't get shipped because it's on Backstock. Knowing how this could be a bad thing, I asked for a refund, and then purchased the DVD from Deep Discount DVD! So maybe I'll get lucky and I'll be able to see this long lost "classic" from my childhood within a few weeks.

Well hope you all had an awesome Christmas, got some great gifts, and spent some time with your loved ones. As for me, it's back to the grindstone this week as I head back to work AND get some stuff finished for Rogue Cinema and the Vault. I'm hoping to get the Vault updated before the New Year, but it may not happen. We'll all just have to hope for the best. ;-)

Happy New Year's b-movie fans! I'll catch you on the flipside!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

That's right, I said it! MERRY CHRISTMAS! Take that you politically correct bitches! No more Happy Holidays from yours truly! I'm taking back Christmas! LOL! Anyways, yes 'tis that special time of year again and thankfully it is almost over! Between presents and bills, I've rendered myself broke, but I have no regrets (only that I didn't have MORE money to get MORE gifts for MORE people). So before I disappear for several days, I just want to wish you all a great Christmas. I hope you all enjoy the time with your family and loved ones, and get some kick ass gifts too!

So enjoy your time off from work (if you have time off that is) and I'll see ya'll in either another week, or sometime early next year. I still have a lot of stuff to do for RC and my site, but for the time being, it'll all have to wait. Again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year b-movie guys and gals!

Oh yeah, that picture? Don't know what the f*ck that thing is, but it's creepy and cool and it's terrorizing a small child. Nothing says MERRY CHRISTMAS like a mutant Santa were-bunny!

A bunch o' stuff to tell ya!

Well let's see here... where should I begin....

Ok, so Monday I had my little Christmas get-together and we all had a great time! We (myself, Tara, and a group of my closest friends) had freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, coffee, milk, hot cocoa, tons of soda, ice cream, 5 boxes of Pizza Hut pizza, plus we all exchanged gifts. Here's what I got: A new 128 MB graphics card for my computer (sadly it was not compatible, but would've been a huge upgrade for my current machine), Max Brooks' new book, "WORLD WAR Z," Issue #1 of "Darkman vs. Army of Darkness," the completed Godzilla 1985 graphic novel, the latest issue of G-Fan Magazine (beautiful artwork on the front and back!!!), several Best Buy gift-cards, "The Wizard" on DVD (well... not yet, but its on the way), and an awesome "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) calendar. (Next December features an awesome shot of an exploding head!!!) My friends are all taken care of, I just gotta get a gift or two for my mother and pick up a few gifts for Tara and I'M DONE!

In movie collecting news: I've gotten "Garuda" and "Negadon: Monster from Mars" in the mail and watched them both. "Garuda" blows donkey dick (but it does have a handful of cool moments) and "Negadon" was fantastic! I also received "Island Claws" on VHS and watched it twice. (The first time I fell asleep, mainly because I spent an hour fixing the tape once it did arrive. F*cking VHS!) I'm still expecting my copies of "The Host" and "Day of the Animals" very soon. Also, I got a few screeners in the mail over the past few days for reviewing purposes including: "Dark Remains," "The Red Skulls," and "Spacemen & Go Go Girls Double Feature!" (The latter two come from Tempe DVD.)

In site news: I've gotten things started for my next two reviews. I'm planning on getting my Dino-Western Double Feature of "Beast of Hollow Mountain" and "Valley of Gwangi" up by the 28th, so we'll see how I fare with that.

Rogue Cinema update: I still have to get my article(s) written plus write some reviews. Thus far I have one screener reviewed with six or so to go. The bad news about this is that the remainder of this month's screener stack is made up of mostly feature-length films. NOOOO! ;-) So I best knock a few of those off my list before Christmas Eve.

Well I guess that's it. I'm gonna try and get the B-Movie Film Vault DVD Shop updated ASAP since I didn't get around to it the past two nights!
Blog ya later foos! :-D

A quick update on me.

Hey folks. I've been very busy the last few days. Tomorrow/today is my first day off in two weeks and I'm having a group of friends over for a lil' get-together to eat mucho amounts of food, watch some Christmas flicks, and exchange a few gifts. So that means that I need to get my arse into bed ASAP! But before I do, here's what's going on with the Vault and RC:

In RC News - Nothing more to report yet. Got a review and my interview done. Still have four (maybe more) screeners to wade through, plus I have an article or two in mind. This stuff MUST get done this week before X-mas hits!

In Vault News - The Forums are still pretty dead, but Shadow, myself, and our fan Andrew are keeping a variety of discussions going. If you're bored, sign up or just post something as a guest, PLEASE! In other news, I've added a few flicks to my collection and updated my B-Movie Collection Page, plus I've added some news about the epcoming "Resident Evil: Extinction" to my main pages in the B-Movie News and Rumors section. I've gotten things set up for my DINO WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURE and aim to have reviews for "The Beast of Hollow Mountain" (1956) and "Valley of Gwangi" (1969) uploaded by December 28th. My anticipated review for "Santa vs. the Snowman" has been canceled indefinitely. I'll hang on to that one until Christmas rolls around again I suppose.

Well that's about it folks! Finish up your holiday shopping ASAP if you still have some gifts to pick up and have a wonderful Christmas in case I don't blog again anytime soon. (Highly unlikely!)

Blog ya'll later!

Finally getting around to posting a picture from our First Anniversary celebration. Nope, that's not Santa in the hat!

Holiday Notes and All

Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all (and to all a good night!)

Beads N Botanicals will be offering its new class schedule for the upcoming year, hopefully BEFORE the end of the year.

More and more folks are expressing an interest in meditation for dealing with stress, pain and insomnia. Almost all of our Wednesday night classes include at least a short meditation, with the Meditation for Relaxation classes being, of course, much longer meditations.

Wednesday Night Classes do not require pre-registration, cost $5.00 and start at 7 p.m. Please note, however, that it is best to arrive about 15 minutes BEFORE the start of class, to make sure you are not locked out. Once we are about to start, the doors are locked to avoid disturbing the rest of the class.

Hope to see you here in the New Year. The next Wednesday Class will be January 10, 2007, on The Seven Chakras: What the “wheels of light” represent

More on jewelry making and herbal classes as we finalize the schedule.

Ways to Become More Satisfied and Happier

This is a great article on the psychology of satisfaction.

This article discusses how we are happy, how to bring greater happiness into our lives and experience more positive feelings.

At this time of year, rather than saying "Bah, Humbug," check out what they have to say.

A Psychology of Satisfaction

More RC Stuff completed Hooray!

Not only is my interview with S. Michael Phillips pretty much done, but I've completed a review for "Glacier Bay," an indie film that has truly moved me. It made me laugh and even jerked a few drops of water from my desert-like tear ducts. This is one movie that you should check out if you have the chance. To learn more about it, visit the Open the Gate Pictures website!

In other news, I'm busy as f*ckin' hell this week. In my off time from work (i.e. the few hours I have before I go to work and the few hours I'm awake after work) this week, I've gotta finish up some Christmas shopping, write some more stuff for Rogue Cinema, try and get a few things updated at the Vault, plus I'm having a group of friends over for a little Christmas party. Despite all the things going on, I actually feel pretty good, mainly because I'm getting stuff accomplished rather than wallowing in laziness.

In any case, I gotta get some sleep, my schedule tomorrow is pretty much booked:
8:30-ish AM - Wake up and eat breakfast.
9:00 - 9:30 AM - Shower and get dressed, leave to meet up with my buddy Chris.
10:00-ish AM - Pick up Chris and drive to Johnson City, NY to Christmas Shop and get a bite to eat.
1 - 2 PM - Estimated return time to Hallstead, PA.
2 - 10:30 - WORK! Blah!
11:00 PM - In my PJs, sitting in front of the comp and working on something. Maybe I'll try and watch "Garuda" again without falling asleep. (Hard to do since the movie drags mercilessly in the first half. Hopefully it gets good once the giant man-bird escapes from its underground prison and starts trashing cities!)

Well time to get some sleep! Blog ya'll later!

Becoming an Optimist...Can You Change Your Personality?

This is a great article on changing your outlook and improving your life.

Rather than saying, nothing will change, read this and allow for the possibilities!


Can You Change Your Personality?

RC Material has officially been started!

Just shipped off my interview questions to S. Michael Phillips, the director of "Hippes." (Read my review HERE!) I sort of e-mailed him the questions out of the blue (it's been at least a month, maybe two, since I last spoke with him), so hopefully he'll be game and that'll be one less thing to worry about toward the end of the month. I still have four screeners to look at and review as well as my January 2007 Genre Watch (plus a bonus 2007 theatrical preview!) plus I'm toying with the notion of writing up an article about either GAMERA or DAIMAJIN! (Decisions, decisions!) Well that's it for me, I'm beat and have another fun day of work ahead of me tomorrow. Blog ya later b-movie fans!

Vault DVD Shop Updated! See ya on Tuesday!

Hey folks, I've just updated the B-Movie Film Vault DVD Shop! CLICK HERE to see what's available on Tuesday and CLICK HERE to check out the rest of the cult DVD releases for the rest of December! I'll be working tomorrow morning at the video store, then driving to Scranton afterwards to spend quality time with the girlfriend and to do a teeny bit o' Christmas shopping. So hang tough until I get home on Tuesday guys and gals and keep fighting the good fight for b-movie lovers everywhere until my return! ;-)

Oh yeah, before I forget, here's a little update on what I'll be working on over the next few weeks. I'm going to be working on my stuff for the January issue of Rogue Cinema during what little "off-time" I have this coming week. (So far I only have four screeners to review and I plan on having one or two articles and interviews ready for the next issue if all goes well.) If I manage to get most or all of it done, then I'm going to leap right into my next two reviews for the Vault ("The Beast of Hollow Mountain" and "The Valley of Gwangi.") ASAP! Also keep an eye out for updated older reviews that may be popping up unannounced at the site!

Well time to get some sleep! Blog ya later cult movie fans!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" freakin rules! I've just completed watching the film for the third time and I still can't get over the amazing CGI effects (at this rate, in another decade or so, they may just perfect the technology)! Though many people (critics and casual viewers alike) have complained that the film packs "too much" into its running time, I for one am more than satsified with the final product. Along with the great cast (mmmm.... Keira Knightley is SO YUMMY lookin'!) of likeable characters, awesome music, and amazing effects, the film also delivers one of the most frustrating finales ever! If you've seen the movie you know exactly what I'm talking about! I can't wait to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Last I (think I) heard, the film was due out for a May or June 2007 theatrcial release! Yeehaw! I can't wait to see me more sea monsters, pirates, and Keira Knightley! (::drool::) If you decide that you need to buy this film, don't hesitate to get it at the Vault's DVD Shop!

New review up at at the Vault!

My review for "The Monster Squad" is now online! You can read it HERE! This is one of my longest reviews yet and the movie definitely deserves it because it's been a favorite of mine for nearly two decades! In other news, I've just ordered two copies of Gwoemul (a.k.a. The Host) and they are on their way! HOORAY! This Korean monster film is getting praise by critics the world over and I'm very much looking forward to it. Region 0 (legit, Hong Kong) DVDs are available all over eBay! (Just in case you were wondering, yes one of those "Host" DVDs is mine, the other is a Christmas gift for a close, personal, kaiju-loving friend!)

Well gotta get to work! Later everyone!

Fatigue conquers all.

I did another large chunk of work on my review for "The Monster Squad." It should be up by tomorrow because there's not too much left to go. (Normally I'd stick it out and finish things up, but I'm so damned tired!) I'm nearly done with the PLOT section and then I just have to fill up the EXTRAS section with some recommended viewing and cool trivia about the film. This is definitely one of my largest reviews to date, but that's just fine because I LOVE THE MONSTER SQUAD! Anyway, time for bed! Keep an eye on the Vault tomorrow night to catch the new review!

Just a little bit more to go....

I don't have much left to do on my review for "The Monster Squad" folks. Tonight I'm going to finish up the PLOT, FILM REVIEW, and EXTRAS sections and get this sucker uploaded! After this, I plan on fixing up a few more older reviews and getting those uploaded, then it's time to unleash my Dino-Western Double Feature upon an unsuspecting populace! MWAHAHAHAHA! This Vault mini-event will feature reviews for "The Beast of Hollow Mountain" and "Valley of Gwangi," the two best known dinosaur/westerns ever made. (Actually, were any more films in this odd sub-genre ever made?)

Also, here's a little tidbit of info concerning a possible new section at the Vault: A Reader/Guest Reviews section! Andrew, a member of my (IT CAME FROM THE VAULT) Forums popped the question last night and will be sending in a few reviews for me to take a look at. If they're any good, I'll put them up at the Vault and the Reader/Guest Reviews section will be born.

Well it's time for me to go to work. (Blah...)
Catch ya later!

The Monster Squad (1987) - Review coming soon at the Vault!

Just a little update concerning my next update for the B-Movie Film Vault. I'm about 60% done with my review for "The Monster Squad," one of the greatest, hippest, and most beloved teen-oriented monster films of the 80s! I freakin' love this movie and I really wish it would get a decent (and legit) DVD release. Anyway, stay tuned folks. I'll let ya'll know when the review is uploaded!

In the meantime, won't you please visit the IT CAME FROM THE VAULT forums and take part in any of the various cult movie discussions that myself and three other hardcore b-movie fans are engaging in?

Catch ya later!

New cult DVD releases this week....

Hey there b-movie fans! The B-Movie Film Vault DVD Shop has just been updated with this week's current DVD releases. Here's some of the stuff you can look forward to buying for yourself (or others as the holiday season is fast approaching):

Alien Nation / Enemy Mine (Double Feature)
Beyond Dream's Door
Black Christmas (Special Edition)
Bleak Future
Bloodletting, The
Blood-Stained Bride, The
Cannibal
Cheezy Exploitation Trailers
Cheezy Fantasy Trailers
Cheezy Horror Trailers Volumes 1 and 2
Cheezy Sci-Fi Trailers Volumes 1 and 2
Cocoon / Coccon : The Return (Double Feature)
Demons Triple Feature
Dinosaur Valley Girls (Mammoth Edition)
Fearless Avenger, The
Hellsing Ultimate: Volume 1
Mad Cowgirl (Special Edition)
Micronauts: Revolution
Naruto Uncut Boxed Set: Volume 2
Night of Bloody Horror
Night of the Ghoul
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Single Disc and 2-Disc Collector's Edition)
Planet of the Apes / Quest for Fire (Double Feature)
Pulse (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
The Quick and the Undead
Red Planet Mars
Silent Scream
Solar Attack
The Terminator: Hunters and Killers

So hop on over to my lil' Amazon DVD shop and buy some flicks! Every purchase helps this poor cult movie critic out! ;-) If you don't see anything you like this week (which I highly doubt), then check out these Upcoming Cult DVD Releases!

Update concerning the IT CAME FROM THE VAULT Forums!

After a half-hour of reading through various faqs and tweaking a few things here and there, I've finally gotten my forums set up so that ANYONE can post, wether you are a member of the forum, or just a Guest! Hopefully this will get the forums to more action as they've been very quiet thus far! Anyway, now that anyone can join in on the fun, please visit the IT CAME FROM THE VAULT FORUMS today!

Also, a little more site news, G-Fan Central (my pretty much defunct Godzilla site) will also be making the move over to my new server. The new address for G-Fan Central is: http://gfancentral.bmoviefilmvault.com Nothing is done on that particular site just yet, but I'm sure I'll manage to build it up quickly once the Vault is all finished up!

Well gotta get to work, tonight's shift at the video store promises to be a quiet one methinks.
Blog ya later b-movie fans!

New review showing up soon at Rogue Cinema!

I turned in a late review for the December issue of Rogue Cinema tonight for an indie double feature I received in the mail a short while ago. Keep an eye out for the review for "Night of the Vampires" and "Bad Review!" (Both films were made by those cool mofos over at Ramsteer Films!)

G'night!

Hot Mulled Cider and Other Winter Warming Drinks

In my Fall/Winter newsletter, I included a simple recipe for hot, mulled, that is, spiced, apple cider.

One local Hoopestonite almost refused to take the newsletter, after stopping in my shop because she wasn't sure if it weren't "witchcraft." I told her, read it and make up your mind.

She came back later that afternoon to ask me some herbal questions.

Now, the following link is about hot alcoholic drinks with spices. Personally, I find hot apple cider WITHOUT rum to be quite nice.

BTW, we do sell mulling spices.

Hot Holiday Drinks

Minor updates at the Vault.

I've changed things up for the month of December on the main pages of the Vault. Now there's fewer dead links, some new b-movie news ("The Host" hits theaters in March! YAY!), and a new MOVIE OF THE MONTH! (1983's "The Deadly Spawn"). Last but not least, I uploaded my retooled review for The Alligator People (1957)! There's more stuff on the way, so keep visiting the Vault!

First Snow of Winter on December 1st

Winter has shown its face here in Central Illinois. Last night lots of wind and rain blew through our area and continued into the morning, with temperatures dropping enough for us to get a small amount of snow, not even enough to cover the lawns as of 11 a.m.

Made me glad I had taken advantage of Fall's last hurrah on the weekend. Got my daffodils in the ground and some other needed work done around the house.

Now that we will probably be indoors for the duration, it is a good time to think about ways to promote health while trying to keep warm.

Especially if you have a well insulated house, it's important to make sure there is enough fresh air coming in. Check furnaces, water heaters, vent pipes, to make sure everything is working properly. Installing a carbon monoxide moniter could literally be a lifesaver.

I find diffusing "Clear Air," a blend of several essential oils, including eucalyptus, oregano and lemon, to not only freshen the indoor air, but help as a preventative for catching and transmitting colds, flu and other air bourne illnesses.

While you're trying to keep warm, remember, you don't have to blast the heat. It's cozy to curl up on a couch or in a chair with a throw blanket around you, a cup of hot tea and a good book.

December 2006 Issue of Rogue Cinema is online!

The new issue of RC is online with five interviews, nine articles, and twenty-five movie reviews to browse through! Here are my contributions to this issue:

Interview with Kipp "Poe" Speicher

Rogue Cinema Genre Watch - December 2006

Review: Anamnesis (2006)

Review: Dark Wind Woods & My Dying Bride (2006)

Review: Night of the Vampires & Bad Review (2003)

Review: Purgatory (2006)

Plus there are two more reviews on their way. (They're gonna be a day or two late.) So head on over to www.roguecinema.com and check out all our new stuff today! Yeehaw!
Now I can get some sleep!