Without Me You're Only You

All right! A million years later...

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 05:41:00 +0000

Yeah yeah, I know. But I'm busy with lots of irons in the fire...and I have to go back to work next week!

I'm blogging tonight because Vesper got me with this one:

Open your itunes. Press play. Make sure it's set to random play. Type the title and artist, then move to the next question, and click the next button, and so on....

Opening Credits: "I Control, I Fly" by Monster Magnet (nice opening)
Waking Up: "Wicked Young Man" by Alice Cooper (you betcha!)
First Day At School: "Drug Ballad" by Eminem
Falling In Love: "Out of the Blue" by Balzac (now it's getting interesting)
Fight Song: "J'aime pas" by Sniper (that's funny)
Breaking Up: "Agitated" by Muse
Prom: "Rickshaw" by Desert Sessions
Life's Okay: "I'm in the Mood to Move" by Ween
Mental Breakdown: "Thou Shalt Not" by KISS
Driving: "Hyperpower!" by Nine Inch Nails (heh)
Flashback: "Bury the Hatchet" by Ghoultown
Getting Back Together: "By the Time I get to Phoenix" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Wedding: "Fuck Her Gently" by Tenacious D (seriously, is someone in control of my iTunes?)
Birth of Child: "Theme from Poltergeist" by Jerry Goldsmith (WHOA! It's actually kind of a beautiful song at first with children singing...)
Final Battle: "Deadly Sinners" by 3 Inches of Blood (there is no song I'd rather cleave someone in the head with a battleaxe to)
Death Scene: "Hearts Alive" by Mastodon (13:39? That's a long death! Still fitting.)
Funeral Song: "Please Kill Me" by Amen (ahahahahah! That's a militant funeral if I've ever heard one)
End Credits: "The Pine Float" by Angelo Badalamenti (from the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me soundtrack. Awesome)

That was fun!

Long time no blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:27:00 +0000

Wow...a month and five days since updating. That's a new record.

I've got lots of stuff cooking so I think I'll pop in and use this as an updater/info dump for a while.

5 Weeks ago my grandmother passed away unexpectedly. It was kind of a shocker and had me down for a while. I even wrote a column under the influence of mourning:

After that depress fest I promised sexy werewolves in the next column. So amongst our home being flooded and my family moving away for a month I really should have had the time and thought to post this back then but here's the banner to the column on sexy werewolves:

I was brilliant for a second and decided to follow it up with more columns on sexual readings of iconic horror characters called sexy beasts. Behold! The columns on the vampire and Frankenstein's monster:

Now that that was over, I did not want to go over the sexual implications of Godzilla or zombies so I realized I hadn't yet covered the influence of Japanese cinema on American horror. This week's article is about the films that transferred without being remade:

All sorts of crazy stuff going on including possibly being on a panel on horror and sci fi at the Victoria Anarchist Book Fair in September, going to Chicago in August and launching my own podcast soon after. I've contributed to the Earth-2.net podcast for a while now but will soon be branching off on my own with the lovely gift of server space at Earth-2.net.

That's all for today I think. More soon, I really promise this time...

Torture Porn or 70s Exploitation Revisited?

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:37:00 +0000

This week is a serious look at the influences on today's "torture porn" subgenre and the War in Iraq with exploitation cinema and the Vietnam War.

It'll be the most intelligent thing you read with "pornography" and "torture" in the title all day!

What a long strange week it's been...

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Thu, 31 May 2007 06:55:00 +0000

The other day one of my students actually ran away to join the circus...

The above is not a lie.

I stole the following from Superfrankenstein but you needs to see this: Dick Cheney's fan boards responding to his lesbian daughter giving birth to his grandchild.

I'd hate Republicans if they weren't so dang entertaining. Why do we need people like Colbert if the real deal is so amusing?

Oh yeah...this is why:

Lovin' his craft

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 30 May 2007 06:05:00 +0000

This week I look at the movies of director Stuart Gordon, including his adaptations of Lovecraft's short stories.

Ch Ch Ch Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 23 May 2007 06:27:00 +0000

It's no secret that humankind fears change. This essay shows how horror and science fiction films exploit this fear.

In other news, I hold in my hand the first copy of my very first comic story. I'll get the vitals up when it goes on sale. It's slightly flawed (like not having a title card) but I'm psyched nonetheless. Check!

Curses! Columned again!

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 16 May 2007 05:04:00 +0000

The very cool image above is in reference to Poltergeist, just one of the films I discuss in my column on cursed movies.

More Carpenter goodness...

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 08 May 2007 05:16:00 +0000

That image you see above this is indeed Kurt Russell from Escape from LA. That means it's the follow-up to last week's article espousing the virtues of John Carpenter. This week: not so much.

That said, the cold is not hitting me like it did last time. Yet.

I'm busy in script mode finishing one that's been looming over my head for months now before getting onto a collection of short fiction I'll maybe be getting published.

I'm currently reading 52 all the way through for the second time until I get to #49-52 and the World War 3 books. Haven't read those yet.

I Wish I Were a Carpenter

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 01 May 2007 02:29:00 +0000

In this one I talk all about the goodness that is John Carpenter's early work.

I will eventually blog between ads for my column...I promise.

Sex and the Slasher

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 07:16:00 +0000

I'm pretty proud of this one. Freuday the 13th: Sex and the Slasher is probably the most academic of my column pieces yet.

The adaption of the Psycho poster by webmaster Michael David Sims is my favourite yet. Thanks Mike!

Sick and dire

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 05:51:00 +0000

This week's Reel Dread takes a look at sickness in horror cinema both metaphorical and literal. Funnily enough, I'm almost all better...

Must have smething to do with the new iPod!!!!!!!! I must now become a hermit and transfer my CD collection.

Based on a True Story

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 05:26:00 +0000

This week's column is one the "based on a true story" phenomenon of horror films. Check it out. I still stew in my sickness. I'm on meds and hopefully I can down a few beers in good conscious on my birthday ina couple of days.

New iPod on its way, I'm going digital. No more CDs!!! I never thought I'd say that.

Raise a little Hell!

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 04:47:00 +0000

The final installment in my Moronic/Iconic series is all about the Hellraiser films. So ends my series for a while with some interesting oneshots coming up next.

Audio stuff by me

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 03:12:00 +0000

I interviewed David Agranoff and reviewed his new chapbook along with a new horror novel by Tim Waggoner and went through the latest in horror news on the latest episode of the Earth 2 podcast here.

Or go download the episode off iTunes by searching for Earth 2.

If you want to support a good cause and read some good socially conscious sci-fi/horror, go here to buy "Screams from a Dying World."

Getting tired of the zombies yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 05:24:00 +0000

I'm not.

This will be the last time I write about Romero's Dead films until Diary of the Dead comes out.

Hello to David Agranoff who I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday in sunny Victoria.

Yeah, yeah...I should have posted this Monday but I was away...

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 05:46:00 +0000

So now you get it whilst I procrastinate over this Monday's column!

Beware the Ides of March!

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 05:27:00 +0000

Dad's bday to day and he loved his gift: "I'm 60 and I have an iPod...I'm a cool guy!"

The days have been going so fast this week but the week's seemed so long. Spring Break Monday. Tomorrow afternoon we're traveling over the hump to the ferries and now the snowflakes outside are bigger than I've ever seen.

Dio de la Muerte (or something...)

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 04:54:00 +0000

New blogger makes me angry...

But new Reel Dread makes me happy! In this one I analyze the third of four Romero zombie films. One more to go...I want to eat some brains.

The Laughing Boogeyman

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 06:58:00 +0000

In this week's episode I discuss why Freddy Krueger went from child-killing pederast to sadistic jokester. Give 'er a looksee.

Dawn of the Departed

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:08:00 +0000

This week's Reel Dread is up. I'm following on the heels of my Night of the Living Dead analysis with the second film in Romero's Dead Cycle: Dawn of the Dead.

I also watched The Departed tonight and I really thought it was better than Infernal Affairs. Both Nicholson and DiCaprio were awesome. I originally thought they were trying to buy Scorcese an Oscar with the casting butafter watching it I take that back.

Back to Reel Dread:

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:14:00 +0000

After a week of parental leave I'm back with another installment of Reel Dread!

I review Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon in this one and if this is not a major contender for horror film of the year then I'm a monkey's uncle, by gum!

Desperately trying to not get pink eye.

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:55:00 +0000

The joys of parenting. Besides wearing safety goggles, I'm doing everything I can to resist being touched in the eye by Cade. My neck feels stronger from all of the quick jerking movements I have to make but I'm afraid of Cade's seeming enjoyment of touching people's eyes. Davin felt his wrath earlier today...

I'm a daddy...again!

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 03:12:00 +0000

Yesterday, Friday February 9th, at 11:30pm Megan Cade and I welcomed another handsome little devil into the world: Davin John Reddick.

We are all at home and doing well. As always, pictures of my lovely bride and our offspring can be found here.

Cheers,

Des

The one where I cover short films...

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 07:04:00 +0000

This one is a group of capsule reviews for the short films found on Small Gauge Trauma.

The banner is an image from one of the scarier of the films: Sister Lulu (nuns and live burial )

The one where I talk about Jason...

noreply@blogger.com (Des) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:10:00 +0000

I exhaustively trace the path of Jason Voorhees through all eleven films that bore his legend in the first installment of a series of articles investigating the descent of the horror icon called Moronic/Iconic Part One: Tell Me Why I Don't Like Fridays.