La noche del terror ciego

KG bought me the Book of the Dead: the Complete History of Zombie Cinema for Christmas. It's a good read, and one of the most comprehensive tomes I've come across.

I decided, though I doubt I'll stick with it, to try and watch every zombie movie available. No small task, for sure.

Anyhow, last night I watched the first installment in the Blind Monks series, La Noche Del Terror Ciego. It's a Spanish zombie film from 1971 about a sect of Templar monks who return from the dead to feast on the living.

Not so good. The zombie monks were actually pretty creepy. But the plot was spotty, the acting was subpar and it was short on gore or genuine scares. I'd also like to mention that technically, they weren't zombies. The monks discovered the secret to immortality. They were executed, and rise from their graves. So, either they are ghosts, or they're vampires. Not zombies.

Worth viewing if you're a hardcore horror/zombie fan, but if you're a casual viewer, I'd suggest giving this one a pass.

Horror done right

I watched Descent the other night. I'm pleased to report that it was a satisfying film. You have 6 women spelunking in an unexplored cave. They get trapped and attacked by a bunch of mutant, Gollum like creatures.

I was pleased that someone could make a horror movie that starred 6 women and managed to avoid both gratuitous nudity and the stereotypical chick banter. These were fully realized women, they were tough and adventerous. It was a nice change. Add in the claustrophobic setting and some geniunely creepy creatures, and all in all you have a pretty decent movie.

I strongly suggest watching the original, unedited version. It has a different ending than the American release, and it's much better.

A Man Called Horse

So, last night I sat down and watched A Man Called Horse. My stepfather has been going on for years about how this was one of his favorite movies. The man has questionable taste, but I was intrigued.

All in all, not a bad movie. It's one of those early 70's revisionist films, depicted a more "realistic" side of Native Americans. The story itself is engaging, and Richard Harris is excellent. The scene where he takes the Sun Bow and is suspended by 2 hooks from his chest is harrowing. Over all, though, I thought the cinematography and editing was poor, and the direction lacked focus. Worth watching, for sure.

179/1000 BLU Vol 2

So, I decided I might as well attempt to do an occasional review of music, movies or books that I ingest. Partly as filler and time killer, partly because I'm always looking to infect new people wth my esoteric taste.

My latest acquisition is The Residents "Best Left Unspoken Volume 2." This is the second of 3 collections of instrumental songs from B sides, out takes and limited releases long out of print.

The first 6 tracks are from "High Horses", an EP of demented carousel music. I'm lucky enough to have the original EP, so this wasn't new to me. None the less, it's great stuff. Best listened to with a decent pair of headphones.

The other stand outs, in my opinion, are "Prelude for a Toddler" and "Bijou." Prelude was included on a previous compliation album, which I also have ( and incidently was my first Residents album), but I'm happy to hear it again. Creepy. "Bijou" is new to me. It's a strange and intersting track, and thankfully defies description.

Anyhow, it's a limited release, and only available from Ralph America. If you have any interest in The Residents, I'd suggest picking it up.

Swinging

So, looks like we've won the War On Terror, eh?

Here's the video proof if you doubt me (Be warned, it ain't pretty).

So, if I'm not mistaken, gas should now be under $1 a gallon, we can lower the Threat Level to green, our boys and girls in uniform can come home, and my babies can sleep safe and secure at night.

Right? Right?

Eh?

Obligatory Catch Up Post

It's been an insane, crazy, busy day at work and I'm just getting the chance to surf on line. It's been a while since I posted, and I do actually have a few things to report.

Just no time to do it right now.

So, suffice to say: The holidays were enjoyable. The kids are well. Work sucks. It's unseasonably warm.

More to come soon.