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Rob Freese
- Feb 27
Lucio Fulci & Zombie (1979)- Some Hard Truths
There is so much lore surrounding 1979's Zombie, written by Dardano Sacchetti and his wife Elisa Briganti and directed by Lucio Fulci, the actual history of the film's creation can be damn difficult to discern. The first thing that must be established is that Zombie is in no way a rip-off of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. This was assumed the moment Jerry Gross put it in stateside theaters. Why? The obvious connection is that when Dawn's Italian co-producer (maybe Special
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Rob Freese
- Feb 24
Trick Baby (1972)
The film opens and immediately an uneasiness settles in. Before we are introduced to any of the characters, we watch a middle-aged black man set a run-down room while two white men arrive at the dingy hotel. He spreads cigarette butts around, plates of food debris, newspapers. He makes the room look like he has been holed up for a week. When the white men arrive, the younger asks to see the diamonds. He’s cocky. He’s threatening. He belittles the middle-aged man, who is obvi
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George Seminara
- Feb 23
William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957)
George tries to talk about William Cameron Menzies, powered by a pencil, a keen mind, and a power name, who changed movies for the better. (Briefly for him.) By George Seminara William Cameron Menzies at his art table, creating another world. William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American film production designer (a title he fabricated from the ether to describe a nonexistent job - "Are you the Art Director?" Menzies turned, "Me? No, no, no, I'm the '
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Rob Freese
- Feb 20
Drive-in Action- Shot (1973)
One of the great joys of being a fan of cinema is discovering some flick you did not even knew existed and falling instantly in love with it. Much is written about how we all come to our favorite horror movies, how we rented some cassette because the cover art freaked us out, or we read about it in Fangoria, and then it turned out being way better than we could have every expected. I think this happens more with horror movies because you can make a good flick with five kids w
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Rob Freese
- Feb 17
Alice Guy First Lady of Film (Graphic Novel)
I must confess, I know very little about the early days of cinema. I would say that I know the basics, and by that I mean I've heard about this history, but I've not really delved into it. I tend to discover cinema history as I go. Something will lead me down a path and then I unearth some new nugget of info from a past era. Case in point, Alice Guy (Alice Guy Blanche). She was the first female writer-director to work in motion pictures. And this was at the dawn of cinema. Sh
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George Seminara
- Feb 15
Clifford Odets: July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963
"We could have made wonderful music together." The General Dies at Dawn, Clifford Odets Where am I starting with a line from a movie you might never have heard of? Just hang on. I'm going somewhere, and maybe, just maybe, I'll turn you on to some good shit. I'm writing about a writer, so today's entry is "QUOTE-TASTIC!" Clifford Odets: July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963. He was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the 1930s, he was expected to become the successor
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Jim Rex
- Feb 14
The Most Romantical Love Stories Ever Told! By Jim Rex
"Ain't love grand?" - Roddy Piper as John Nada in John Carpenter's They Live (1988) Today is the most romantical day of the year, right? Love Day 2023. I don't have a valentine's this year and that's okay, because the next best thing to being in love is watching movies about people in love. When I asked my bosses if I could write this blog it got real silent on the phone. I thought I lost them, but then I heard Paul, and then Rob, clear their throat. Paul did this thing wher
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Rob Freese
- Feb 13
Valentine's Day Slashers!
It's that time of year again when love is in the air. Young people look toward spring with affection and hopefulness. Love blossoms like spring flowers. There is excitement. There is merrymaking. Hands are held. Cheeks flush with sweet anticipation. First kisses. Hands roaming. Human hearts ripped from unsuspecting victims and stuffed in heart shaped candy boxes. Ah, Valentine's Day. A time for new love. A time for renewed love. A time for trapping your beloved in a gonzo ho
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Rob Freese
- Feb 10
No Apologies- Cannonball Run II!
Cannonball Run II (1984) It is absolutely ridiculous how much I enjoy this movie. It is a sequel to the original Cannonball Run from 1981. I am entertained by that film to a ridiculous degree also. This is a movie of scenes. It is not really about anything. There is not a story or plot, just the idea of a race that strings together racing vignettes. Nothing builds towards anything. Nothing is about anything. Still, for an hour and forty-eight minutes, I am never bored and th
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George Seminara
- Feb 8
Why closing Splash Mountain is a good thing, and why Disney's Song of the South's still unavailable
George does his "Rabbit Hole" thing and tries to stay out of Politics (Fails!) Toward the end of 2021, The Walt Disney Company announced the closure of Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World in Florida. They also announced their intention to close the attraction at Disney Land in California. Disney Japan and Euro Disney are still up for grabs. But in my opinion, if you need to scratch the traditional Splash Mountain Log Flume itch, Japan will probably not change. Why do I say t
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Rob Freese
- Feb 6
Revisiting Survival of the Dead (2009)
It always seemed to me that George Romero never got a fair shake. Sure, he's considered one of the true masters of horror, and will forever have his place etched into the history books for Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1979). For me, my favorite Romero film is Knightriders (1981), probably his most personal movie. It is a beautiful study of a group of people trying ot live a life outside the mainstream, but constantly fighting with dragons. It's mystic
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Rob Freese
- Feb 3
The Living Word- Wattstax (1973)
Get ready for not only a concert that will get you up on your feet moving, but a documentary about a place and time that seems all too familiar 50 years later. Sponsored by Stax Records out of Memphis, Tennessee, the concert featured a number of Stax artists. Wattstax is made up of footage of the seven-hour concert held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972. In between the footage we get to hear residents of Watts talk about their experiences with cops, relationship
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George Seminara
- Feb 1
George praises mediocrity, Marvel movies, and why everyone needs to see Sullivan's Travels.
By George Seminara What is a hack? It's a negative, right? Or is it? My book agent, the late Knox Burger, told me a hack was a reliably average creative. Movies, books, music, whatever. The hack delivers the job and it works. It’s good enough, it may not be art, but it doesn’t have to be. The marketplace demands content, and not all content will be great. Television is a medium where making the same thing fresh week after week is a freaking art form. It is a rare program that
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