April 14th, 2008
|
12:29 pm est
|
Jason Buchanan
Driving towards the Ohio border en route to
Cinema Wasteland, the sky was an impossibly thick haze of impenetrable gray. The windshield wipers were bouncing back and forth at the kind of slow-and-steady place pace that could lull someone into a sort of rain-drizzled trance had they simply been sitting in the passenger seat letting their mind wander; thankfully, the spirited conversation between the four horror geeks therein was enough to fend off depressive memories of
Frank Darabont’s “
The Mist” as the car glided into the dreary flatlands of Ohio and towards the otherwise unremarkable town of Strongville - a small and inconspicuous suburb of Cleveland.
Read the rest of this entry »
March 4th, 2008
|
1:55 pm est
|
Jeremy Wheeler
February 25th, 2008
|
1:08 pm est
|
Perry Seibert
As a lifelong movie lover, the Oscars are always a special event for me. No matter how much I learn about how movies are made, no matter how many I see, and how much I discover about what goes on behind the scenes, they are always fresh and surprising. I’ve been lucky enough to maintain an innocence, a naiveté, that allows me to suspend disbelief when I’m watching a film.
This year, for the first time, I was able to be in Los Angeles for Oscar weekend. On the day before the ceremony, I saw the Kodak Theater, the ceremony’s home since 2002, and experienced firsthand the massive amount of production that goes into making the Oscar telecast such a memorable event. For someone still able to be moved by movies past and present, placing my hands inside the impressions of Cary Grant, Harold Lloyd, and Matt Damon’s hands in front of Grauman’s Theater inspired a profound connection to the history of the art form I love. I attended an annual event called “Meet the Oscars,” a small exhibit that gives the public the opportunity to be photographed holding an actual Oscar statuette - providing me with a slam dunk snapshot for my Christmas card in ten months.
I share all this not to brag, but simply to note that while watching the telecast at the home of a dear friend in LA I was still as caught up in the show as I always am. Even though I saw first-hand the amount of fakery and construction that goes into the telecast – the red carpet, the cheesy gigantic Oscars that flank the people who enter the theater, the fact that the Kodak theater anchors a mall – I suspended my disbelief without ever thinking about it. I screamed and yelled and carried on when something surprised me, I bitched and moaned when I felt the winner was less than deserving (I’m looking at you editor of The Bourne Ultimatum), and I still marvel at the sheer star-power of great actors and marvel at the mysterious skill of the writers and directors I adore.
And the show this year was as worthy of love as any in recent memory. Here are a few of the many memorable moments and innovations.
Read the rest of this entry »
February 21st, 2008
|
2:45 pm est
|
Jeremy Wheeler
Note: Convention Coverage Update at the bottom of the post.
There’s nothing like a horror convention to get the geek juices flowing – and who better to throw one than the undisputed kings of horror publications but Fangoria, the leading source of all cinematic horror offerings. They kick off their Midwest winter convention this upcoming weekend in Chicago and the lineup looks like it should be one bloody great time. With guests that range from convention regulars Robert Englund and Kane Hodder (Freddy and Jason, respectively) to an appearance by one of the brightest upcoming directors on the market, Neil Marshall (The Descent, Doomsday), plus two double-feature packed nights at the Windy City’s famed Music Box theater – this is one wild and wooly weekend that is sure to be worth trekking through the cold for.
Follow through the jump for the official flyer, along with links and a call back to our previous year’s coverage. Also be on the lookout for our Convention Report next week, where we fill you in on all of the wonderfully weird happenings of this year’s installment.
Read the rest of this entry »
March 9th, 2007
|
11:39 am est
|
AllMovie Staff
By Jason Buchanan & Jeremy Wheeler
ADDITIONAL CONVENTION FACTOIDS
– Shawnee Smith (The Blob, Saw) admitted that Diane Lane was originally supposed to play her part in The Stand miniseries, but had to drop out due to a pregnancy.
– In the same panel discussion, she also dropped some interesting knowledge on the inner workings of the Saw filmmaking process, admitting that she only spent a half-day on the set of the first film, while Saw II’s ending was written just one week before filming.
– Fangoria, the world’s longest-running horror magazine, has been in monthly publication since 1979. Since then, they’ve branched into the world of straight-to-video horror (I, Zombie, Lady of the Lake), and into the airwaves with their Sirius satellite show Fangoria Radio, as well as Fangoria TV, which can be accessed online.
INDEPENDENT PRODUCTIONS FEATURED AT THE CON
100 Tears
Barracade
Closet Space
Necrophobia
OTHER LINKS
Chicago Horror Festival
Wicked Pixel Cinema
Horror Talk Radio
Chicago Paranormal Society
Screamfest Horror Convention
Bump in the Night Productions
