tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125251845391752842024-03-12T17:08:55.281-07:00Trash-AestheticsChick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-44384486608256114522009-04-15T22:28:00.000-07:002009-04-16T08:46:59.399-07:0010 Favorite Film Characters<strong>The Task:</strong> Make a list of 10 of your favorite film characters.<br /><br />Sure - as Rodney Dangerfield says in "Back to School" - "piece of cake!" Thank God this doesn't say ALL-TIME favorite film characters - as that would be <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">very </span>difficult if not impossible. When you've seen thousands and thousands of films it's hard enough to pick 10 random favorites, let alone <span style="font-weight: bold;">all-time</span> favorites...<br /><br />Actually, I decided to play it pretty basic and simple here. I just...well, I just thought of 10 random and immediate characters that I loved for some particular reason or another and started to look for pictures of them. I won't go into great detail after each selection - some may require no explanation at all. This was very fun and actually not as complicated as I thought it would be. The trick was to just go with first thoughts, if I started to refine and cultivate a list, oh boy, that would be another story altogether!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeapJ2eft0I/AAAAAAAACHw/ilClfiART7s/s1600-h/Ard.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 459px; height: 287px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeapJ2eft0I/AAAAAAAACHw/ilClfiART7s/s400/Ard.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325129596119529282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ard</span> as portrayed by actor Martin Lavut</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Heavy Metal (1981)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The single most bitchy, sarcastic animated character ever. That sly, effeminate, brilliant <span style="font-style: italic;">Ard</span>. "Guards, castrate him..." "If you refuse, you die; she dies; everybody dies." "Norl" The <em>Loc</em>-<em>Nar is mine</em><span style="font-style: italic;">! - </span><em style="font-style: italic;">Stupid bitch</em>! Get away from me! - Give it to me! - The <em>Loc</em>-<em>Nar is mine</em>! It's my Loc-Nar."<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Seahl6Zo78I/AAAAAAAACHo/zqOzVOkr5fg/s1600-h/cath.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 422px; height: 273px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Seahl6Zo78I/AAAAAAAACHo/zqOzVOkr5fg/s400/cath.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325121282116218818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ramona </span>as portrayed by Cathy Moriarty </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Neighbors (1981)</span><br /><br />If you have seen this film then I don't think I need to go into any explanation with <span style="font-style: italic;">Ramona</span>. If you haven't, tsk tsk. GET ON THAT.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeaZYaAZs8I/AAAAAAAACHg/yMV-VYGJ7pU/s1600-h/bud+and+lou.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 293px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeaZYaAZs8I/AAAAAAAACHg/yMV-VYGJ7pU/s400/bud+and+lou.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325112253989106626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chick Young and Wilbur Gray</span> as portrayed by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">(1948)</span><br /><br />I can't say that I'd want to pal around with <span style="font-style: italic;">Chick and Wilbur </span>all the time, but every now and then would be a hoot! Especially at Masquerade Balls!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SebBz43zEZI/AAAAAAAACIo/UDfgzTE-VfY/s1600-h/Matinee2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SebBz43zEZI/AAAAAAAACIo/UDfgzTE-VfY/s400/Matinee2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325156706596098450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Lawrence Woolsey</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> as portrayed by John Goodman<br />Matinee (1993)</span><br /><br />Clearly based off of legendary producer, director William Castle, Matinee's Lawrence Woolsey (beautifully realized by Goodman) is a real sentimental favorite of mine. He tells it like it is and with a great deal of insight and fatherly wisdom. What a mentor he is in this film! Keep your eyes open he advises us - don't cover them up during the scary parts. His parable of the first horror film (much like Plato's Cave) is a bit of movie magic genius.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeVSt-9PlGI/AAAAAAAACHY/qwNK1Q37Sxo/s1600-h/Maximus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 405px; height: 295px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeVSt-9PlGI/AAAAAAAACHY/qwNK1Q37Sxo/s400/Maximus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324753084382942306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Maximus Decimus Meridius </span>as portrayed by Russell Crowe</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Gladiator (2000)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Strength and Honor."</span> That's Goddamn right.<br /></div></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea45Ws-OtI/AAAAAAAACIQ/I3mcUeklUCw/s1600-h/dr003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 474px; height: 206px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea45Ws-OtI/AAAAAAAACIQ/I3mcUeklUCw/s400/dr003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325146904898452178" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea5F0jxDMI/AAAAAAAACIY/oVcGbc6OYzE/s1600-h/dr019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 479px; height: 207px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea5F0jxDMI/AAAAAAAACIY/oVcGbc6OYzE/s400/dr019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325147119071333570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Contessa Teresa </span><em style="font-style: italic;">di</em><span style="font-style: italic;"> Vicenzo "Tracy"</span> as portrayed by Diana Rigg</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I'll never ever forget the first time I saw this film. I was about 9 or 10 years old and had already seen EVERY bond film save this one. I was watching it by myself over Christmas break. I was wrapped up good and tight on that cold December night, drinking hot chocolate, loving this film. And, when James Bond proposed marriage - in that little shack - with those beautiful lines of dialogue - man, I was having one of my major cinema moments, seriously. A very special, one on one moment with this film. As you might guess then, I cried when the film ended and was depressed for a few days after... "We have all the time in the world."</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeazDJUTWvI/AAAAAAAACIA/7YDcjVS6ckE/s1600-h/hackman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 504px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeazDJUTWvI/AAAAAAAACIA/7YDcjVS6ckE/s400/hackman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325140476034243314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Rev. Frank Scott as portrayed by Gene Hackman<br />The Poseidon Adventure (1972)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A Fightin' Priest! God save Gene Hackman, in my opinion - America's greatest living actor. "Get on your knees and pray for forgiveness?" "I said I was gonna get everybody out of here and Goddamit I'm gonna do it!" "We have to go UP!" Hackman can do more with a potential throwaway line than anybody. Period.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea82cywPMI/AAAAAAAACIg/zjgvW9lnEWM/s1600-h/Jacques-Perrin-Cinema-Paradiso.4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 404px; height: 253px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea82cywPMI/AAAAAAAACIg/zjgvW9lnEWM/s400/Jacques-Perrin-Cinema-Paradiso.4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325151253040217282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Salvatore Di Vita</span> as portrayed by Jacques Perrin<br />Cinema Paradiso (1988)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Quiet, still, understated. Perrin's facial expressions blow you away. He's amazing.</span> The most sentimental, nostalgic film about films of all-time. If someone doesn't get weepy at the end of this film, don't trust them! They're inhuman.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea1CDYRu4I/AAAAAAAACII/z_vDTfmCa1k/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 384px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sea1CDYRu4I/AAAAAAAACII/z_vDTfmCa1k/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325142656283687810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Professor Fate </span>as portrayed by Jack Lemmon<br />The Great Race (1965)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">Those who know me well, and I mean WELL, know that this was my favorite film of all-time for decades. Professor Fate is, quite simply, my favorite Jack Lemmon character. <span style="font-style: italic;">"Push the button Max!"</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeayXh2tqEI/AAAAAAAACH4/Aqo2KmdSi9E/s1600-h/frank.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SeayXh2tqEI/AAAAAAAACH4/Aqo2KmdSi9E/s400/frank.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325139726706780226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Frank Galvin</span> as portrayed by Paul Newman<br />The Verdict (1981)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"So much of the time we're just lost. We say please God, tell us, what is right, what is true. And there is no justice. The rich win, the poor are powerless. We become tired of hearing people lie, and after a time we become dead. ... We think of ourselves as victims, we become victims. We become, we become weak. ...</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"In my religion, we say act as if you had faith. ... If we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in ourselves. ... I believe there is justice in our hearts."</span><br /><br />Never do you root for a Paul Newman character MORE than in the very brilliant (and my favorite) Paul Newman performance and film - Sydney Lumet's masterstroke, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Verdict</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Well, there ya have it. Ten quick gut reactions. I'm actually quite proud of this post. It took almost no time to put together (except for the Cathy Moriarty and Ard stills which I had to grab from their respective DVDs). It was put together quickly and I like my choices. If this HAD BEEN 10 ALL TIME favorites, I would've been screwed (I did have number 10 ready to go though - Robert Shaw's "<span style="font-style: italic;">Quint</span>" from Jaws). And lastly, if my friend Taliesin should be reading - our review of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I, Desire </span>is coming up very soon!<br /><br />I wasn't tagged in this meme - rather I saw it on some blogs and, on the spur of the moment, decided to join in. So, I can't in good conscience tag anyone else. However, should you want to participate - let me know you did with a tag back or comment. Cheers!<br /></div></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-66674985143092964972009-04-06T09:28:00.000-07:002009-04-06T20:13:31.961-07:00Still Very Much in Love with Christina Lindberg<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdlSlnYZG1I/AAAAAAAACCo/8QaQygZc_uw/s1600-h/DSCN0406.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdlSlnYZG1I/AAAAAAAACCo/8QaQygZc_uw/s400/DSCN0406.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321375240894880594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Yours Truly and the amazing Christina Lindberg</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdosPPclN5I/AAAAAAAACDQ/4Iwqk8q-rSM/s1600-h/christina_lindberg_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdosPPclN5I/AAAAAAAACDQ/4Iwqk8q-rSM/s320/christina_lindberg_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321614550047733650" border="0" /></a>This past Saturday night was very special. Over the years, as my career has blossomed, I've been lucky enough to spend quality time with many motion picture actors and directors. This has been facilitated by my good friends at <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.synapse-films.com/">Synapse Films</a>, Jerry Chandler and Don May Jr, and my good friend, the historian, scholar and author <a href="http://www.carlosaguilar.net/">Carlos Aguilar</a>. Don and Jerry flew in the legendary Swedish actress, model, publisher, and popular culture icon, Christina Lindberg and her friend, promoter and <a href="http://klubbsuper8.com/">Klubb Super 8</a> founder, Rickard Gramfors. This is indeed a rare occurrence - Christina retired from the industry many years ago to go onto a very successful career in aviation publishing. Her appearance at this year's Cinema Wasteland convention was THE cult cinema event of the year. Christina was constantly occupied. CONSTANTLY. Her popularity has not lessened or diminished in any way over the last thirty years - on the contrary, she has more legions of fans than she could possibly imagine. But more on that later. One fan, in particular, had driven from Florida for 20 hours STRAIGHT just to see her and get her autograph before returning back to Florida. Now, that is devotion. Speaking of devotion, check out this tattoo -<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo5GxnUxII/AAAAAAAACD4/rmA0QlrMj_o/s1600-h/ThrillerTattoo-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo5GxnUxII/AAAAAAAACD4/rmA0QlrMj_o/s200/ThrillerTattoo-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321628698251936898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(C) Evilnktattoo</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CINEMA WASTELAND, APRIL 2009</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdlX3FrfbgI/AAAAAAAACC4/IRPOvAceZrY/s1600-h/euro_guest_banner2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 191px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdlX3FrfbgI/AAAAAAAACC4/IRPOvAceZrY/s400/euro_guest_banner2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321381038643965442" border="0" /></a><br />After the con shut down for the evening at 7pm, a small party of us went to a nice local restaurant to have dinner and relax. Rickard had asked, "would you like to sit next to Christina?" A rhetorical queston... What followed was a lovely time and what is and what will remain a very sweet and cherished memory.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdlYfMfWemI/AAAAAAAACDA/b9hljeg0YD0/s1600-h/DSCN0410.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdlYfMfWemI/AAAAAAAACDA/b9hljeg0YD0/s400/DSCN0410.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321381727666862690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Christina's trademark - no smile.</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdowh1w5lMI/AAAAAAAACDY/_Z01xmL4rfg/s1600-h/Christina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdowh1w5lMI/AAAAAAAACDY/_Z01xmL4rfg/s200/Christina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321619267617658050" border="0" /></a>In fact, it is VERY difficult to find pics of Christina smiling. I've got a good little behind the scenes pic of Christina on the set of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thriller</span> having a cigarette and coming close to a full-on smile, but not quite <span style="font-size:85%;">(</span><span style="font-size:85%;">at left)</span>. We talked of many matters. Since she had been answering questions about films all day, I steered the conversation more towards aviation, travel, culture, my times in Europe, etc. But, we did talk about <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thriller, A Cruel Picture (a.k.a They Call Her One Eye)</span> - she had a lot to say about the making of that film! Some great behind the scenes stories...<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo1Xb6HqSI/AAAAAAAACDg/dHVuDWhvAKc/s1600-h/lindberg2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo1Xb6HqSI/AAAAAAAACDg/dHVuDWhvAKc/s400/lindberg2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321624586436454690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thriller - A Cruel Picture (1974)</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;" id="result_box" dir="ltr"><br /></div>For me however, there was a very touching, tender moment. Christina had told me that she was VERY shy when she was young and still shy to this day (a few minutes later, I bore witness to this). When talking about travel, Rickard, Christina and I had a lovely discussion about Japan and the two films Christina made while living in Japan. I told them I had just published a chapter in a book that dealt with three Japanese Vampire films from the same period when Christina was living there. Rickard commented that perhaps a retrospective on Swedish Exploitation with Tokyo playing host would be a really good idea. Christina was very interested and had admitted that she had not been back to Japan since she left in the 1970s. A few moments later, after we had changed the topic slightly, Christina touched my arm lightly and asked <span style="font-style: italic;">"They are still interested in me in Japan?"</span> The humility and vulnerability in her voice was genuine and very moving. I responded, "Yes. They are. Very much so." That moment branded itself in my memory and is what I remember most from our evening. What a remarkable woman.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo4TmO1ETI/AAAAAAAACDo/2u38uLU1vNs/s1600-h/DSCN0413.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo4TmO1ETI/AAAAAAAACDo/2u38uLU1vNs/s400/DSCN0413.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321627819023077682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Film Historian, Distributor, and Promoter - Rickard Gramfors<br />(Taken by Christina while I was giving her instructions - hence my weird, Hanson Brother face)<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo48Tz8JLI/AAAAAAAACDw/kqPkVm2oDiY/s1600-h/Christina_Lindberg-78.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo48Tz8JLI/AAAAAAAACDw/kqPkVm2oDiY/s400/Christina_Lindberg-78.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321628518453093554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Christina Lindberg!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo6S2NxgPI/AAAAAAAACEA/gejgRwx78pw/s1600-h/DSCN0421.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo6S2NxgPI/AAAAAAAACEA/gejgRwx78pw/s400/DSCN0421.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321630005157003506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Always a good time in Cleveland</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo61fyvfQI/AAAAAAAACEI/A2zqy5il71o/s1600-h/DSCN0416.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/Sdo61fyvfQI/AAAAAAAACEI/A2zqy5il71o/s400/DSCN0416.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321630600433466626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Christina and Don May Jr.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Our small dinner party had to break up as Christina's cult film "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Anita</span>" was playing (on a remarkable 35 mm print English dubbed print) at the major cineplex next door for a midnight showing, which Christina and Rickard were introducing. I headed back to the hotel and chilled with me droog Fred for a bit and then hit the road back to Detroit, with a perma-smile that is still plastered across my face. Thank you Christina Lindberg, Rickard Gramfors, and especially to my good friends <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jerry Chandler and Don May Jr. for making this possible. You guys are the best.</span><br /></div></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-72312774934595628432009-04-03T12:15:00.000-07:002009-04-03T12:45:20.783-07:00Universal - Classic Monsters Montage<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxub5d03nUUHpyKZr-IsAEuee2tglXAce2mRSbQ2E-qT0FDUg2hxUx7NgAMJLMc5ezlz4Vze0iODB2A7vZEqw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />I ripped this Universal Logo Montage from my <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein</span> (1948) dvd.<br /><br />This was the montage that was cut together for this first wave of Universal Classic Monsters dvd's - long since out of print.<br /><br />I get a lump in my throat every time I watch it. I wanted to share it with you as I find it timeless and beautiful. It's MY WORLD. Please have a look - it's very short.<br /><br /></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-75295561214025133242009-04-01T15:09:00.000-07:002009-04-01T19:26:08.189-07:00A Small, But Representative Sampling<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdQbdWqfM1I/AAAAAAAACBg/LNEUuY5f_sE/s1600-h/The-shining-jack-in-maze.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 307px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdQbdWqfM1I/AAAAAAAACBg/LNEUuY5f_sE/s400/The-shining-jack-in-maze.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319907250945340242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >1980</span><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">Wanna go for a ride on my time machine? If so, read on, and buckle up cuz we're going 29 years back.<b> </b>Yes, grab your Jack Nicholson butcher knife, Olivia Newton John roller skates, and of course, ol' Billy Barool (Billy, Billy, Billy...) as we take a look at several months worth of releases from the year,<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> our</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty.</span></p><p>So, what exactly am I getting at in this blog post? Well, I was gathering data for a large project and stumbled across a listing of release dates, by week, of some major films spread across various studios during these months. The thing is - I've seen every single one of these film, some dozens of times and many at the theaters in 1980. And, it struck me. Motherfucker, that's some list of films.</p><p>So impressive in fact that it got me thinking just how much less we appear to demand from our culture industry "these days." Now, granted, that's not saying much, but look at the partial list of films below and, well, you be the judge. Not a bum film in the lot as far as I'm concerned.<br /></p><p>Also granted, I'm looking at this list of films through the perhaps "corrective" lens of 29 years. So, just how much of this is nostalgia and how much of it is valid is debatable. However, I saw many of these films in the theater at the time of their release and the rest within a year or two later - on home video, on "ON TV", or on network television and I loved every single one of them. I ask you, when was the last time we had a four or five month stretch that read like this?<br /></p><p><b>Friday, February 08th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">American Gigolo</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Cruising"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">The Fog</r><span style="font-style: italic;">" </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Midnight Madness</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, February 15th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Caligula</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Saturn 3</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, February 29th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Don't Answer The Phone</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Foxes</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, March 07th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Coal Miner's Daughter</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, March 14th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Defiance</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, March 21st 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Forbidden Zone</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Little Darlings</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater at least twice)</span><br /></p><p><b>Friday, March 28th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">The Changeling</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Don't Go In The House</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, May 09th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Friday the 13th"</span><br /><r style="font-style: italic;">The Nude Bomb</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /></p><p><b>Friday, May 16th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Breaker Morant"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Fame"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">The Long Riders</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, May 23rd 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Shining"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><a href="http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/594239"><br /></a></p><p><b>Friday, May 30th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">The Hollywood Knights</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, June 06th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Up the Academy</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Urban Cowboy</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /></p><p><b>Friday, June 13th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Mad Max</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">The Island</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Wholly Moses!</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, June 20th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Blues Brothers"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Brubaker</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, June 27th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">The Stunt Man</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Wednesday, July 02nd 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Airplane!</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw about 4 or 5 times in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Alligator</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, July 04th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Blue Lagoon"</span><a href="http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/568338"><br /></a></p><p><b>Friday, July 11th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">My Bodyguard</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> (saw in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Oh! Heavenly Dog</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Used Cars</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /></p><p><b>Friday, July 18th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">The Big Red One</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Cheech & Chong's Next Movie</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Honeysuckle Rose"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Prom Night</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span></p><p><b>Friday, July 18th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Caddyshack</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw at theater at least twice)</span></span><br /></p><p><b>Friday, August 01st 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Close Encounters Of The Third Kind</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Final Countdown"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater)</span><a href="http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/125030"><br /></a></p><p><b>Friday, August 08th 1980</b><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><r style="font-style: italic;">Xanadu</r><span style="font-style: italic;">"</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(saw in theater at least twice)</span></p><p>Some of my favorite movies of all-time (as well as most beloved by the public) are in this short and modest list. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Caddyshack? The Blues Brothers? The Shining? Friday the 13th? Airplane? Mad Max? Caligula?</span> Not to mention total cult faves like <span style="font-weight: bold;">Little Darlings, The Final Countdown, The Long Riders, The Stunt Man and Xanadu</span>. What the fuck do we get nowadays? For me, it amounts to a film I feel like seeing every two or three months and one that I actually go to every 4.<br /></p><p>At any rate - if I dug up this time capsule and found these many reels of film, were I a cultural anthroplogist, I might conclude that - well I think you know what I would conclude...</p><p>I don't belong here - I belong there. Sure could use me a Tardis.<br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdQZNemGNrI/AAAAAAAACBY/WveOeznJkCg/s1600-h/little_darlings_l.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdQZNemGNrI/AAAAAAAACBY/WveOeznJkCg/s400/little_darlings_l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319904779173246642" border="0" /></a></p>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-27302968221316894642009-03-17T21:49:00.000-07:002009-03-17T22:29:36.588-07:00Favorite Endings...<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ScB_BMMo8XI/AAAAAAAAB_I/IWVevOZVv74/s1600-h/Kicking+and+Screaming+1995+VHS+cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 344px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ScB_BMMo8XI/AAAAAAAAB_I/IWVevOZVv74/s400/Kicking+and+Screaming+1995+VHS+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314387218728022386" border="0" /></a><br />Probably my favorite ending of<span style="font-style: italic;"> any movie</span> in the last twenty years is Noah Baumbach's<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Kicking and Screaming</span>. I LOVED this movie. It was exactly about "me" when it came out (1995) - I was in the exact same place as the central characters, a quarter of a century old, a bachelor's in hand, the ability to think deeply about seemingly important matters but completely impotent at attending to them, not a farthing of wisdom, and a personal and professional compass that was impervious to magnetism - in other words... stuck.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ScCCNcUp87I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/IREI4VIZ7QA/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 245px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ScCCNcUp87I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/IREI4VIZ7QA/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314390727749923762" border="0" /></a>The film centers around, among other things, a relationship between protagonist Grover (Josh Hamilton) and Jane (one of my favorite actresses, the lovely- Olivia D'abo, <span style="font-size:85%;">at left)</span>. The story is intentionally fragmented and disjointed - told in flashbacks and in the present. It is a beautifully realized relationship and it is expertly revealed to us, aided by remarkable dialogue and sparkling performances by the two leads. We are given bits and pieces of the many stages of their relationship (all the while knowing that Jane is <span style="font-style: italic;">currently</span> in Prague) just as we are given bits and pieces of a telephone message that Jane has left <span style="font-style: italic;">from </span>Prague. A message Grover can't really muster up the courage to listen to in its entirety. This propels us to the film's daring, original, and sentimental conclusion. I can watch it over and over and over and over...<br /><br />Clearly, it is not my intent to discuss the ending - just to say that it is one of my favorite endings of all time and certainly claims <span style="font-weight: bold;">the top spot</span> for the last two decades at least. Can't recommend this film enough - especially should you find yourself at "Bachelor's End."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ScCCibqvxXI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/OifOG-BET90/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ScCCibqvxXI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/OifOG-BET90/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314391088351397234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Cinematic Perfection: The ending of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kicking and Screaming<br /><br /><br /></span></span></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-55828784728150318362009-02-13T13:38:00.001-08:002009-02-13T13:52:09.451-08:00Alain Delon et Qui?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SZXpbZSb9wI/AAAAAAAAB78/p1gCSye-ZSE/s1600-h/00047f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SZXpbZSb9wI/AAAAAAAAB78/p1gCSye-ZSE/s400/00047f.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302400793152583426" border="0" /></a>Could use a little help on this one. Does anyone know who the girl is in this photograph with Alain Delon? I have a few guesses, but...Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-13272915484608195052008-12-15T15:03:00.000-08:002009-04-05T12:09:18.771-07:00Top 20 Favorite Actresses & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbPmfC9HWI/AAAAAAAAB1U/yB0bsVlBRrg/s1600-h/Mr.Hankey"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 258px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbPmfC9HWI/AAAAAAAAB1U/yB0bsVlBRrg/s320/Mr.Hankey" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280135873214356834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Firstly, Chick Young would like to wish you all a joyous, safe, and merry holiday season. Have a cup of human kindness on me!</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">Hiiiiidy Hooo!!</span><br /></div><br />Now then, there's been a meme going around to name your favorite 20 actresses. Although I haven't been tagged yet - I believe that it's only a matter of time. So, I've decided to join in and throw my two cents into the lot. This list is built from actresses whom I consider (for <span style="font-style: italic;">whatever</span> reasons) to be my "favorite." A comprehensive, exhaustive list is neither attempted nor recommended. The following actresses are not listed by any "measurable" criteria other than my own personal tastes. The list is not in order of preference, with the exception being the number one spot, which while I am alive, will always belong to Natalie...<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXuqX0Dp8I/AAAAAAAABzc/anKcF7s32IQ/s1600-h/n2_031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 340px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXuqX0Dp8I/AAAAAAAABzc/anKcF7s32IQ/s320/n2_031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279888549876049858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SU73CLBYvCI/AAAAAAAAB3k/U-Yp0lwjsTI/s1600-h/24636_wood_024_122_833lo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 347px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SU73CLBYvCI/AAAAAAAAB3k/U-Yp0lwjsTI/s400/24636_wood_024_122_833lo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282431029642574882" border="0" /></a>Natalie Wood<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXn-YQTypI/AAAAAAAABy8/euvlJCNlHJ8/s1600-h/audrey"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 329px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXn-YQTypI/AAAAAAAABy8/euvlJCNlHJ8/s320/audrey" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279881197010537106" border="0" /></a>Audrey Hepburn<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXoWsJ-j6I/AAAAAAAABzE/3RSp2Axea2A/s1600-h/raquel"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXoWsJ-j6I/AAAAAAAABzE/3RSp2Axea2A/s320/raquel" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279881614669549474" border="0" /></a>Raquel Welch<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXpIV2yJOI/AAAAAAAABzM/hBZZ2BR37UE/s1600-h/Gardner,+Ava_03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 328px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXpIV2yJOI/AAAAAAAABzM/hBZZ2BR37UE/s320/Gardner,+Ava_03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279882467676923106" border="0" /></a>Ava Gardner<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXpP4HP3rI/AAAAAAAABzU/N7PLb9JM4u4/s1600-h/Stanwyck,+Barbara+%28Lady+of+Burlesque%29_01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 328px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXpP4HP3rI/AAAAAAAABzU/N7PLb9JM4u4/s320/Stanwyck,+Barbara+%28Lady+of+Burlesque%29_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279882597131869874" border="0" /></a>Barbara Stanwyck<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbGVTz6MCI/AAAAAAAAB0s/uQ16-ja5A7U/s1600-h/1c03bde0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 222px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbGVTz6MCI/AAAAAAAAB0s/uQ16-ja5A7U/s400/1c03bde0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280125682536034338" border="0" /></a>Teresa Gimpera<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXvgxTbLgI/AAAAAAAABzk/4--ZoXfW5jE/s1600-h/Hayworth,+Rita+%28Affair+in+Trinidad%29_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 329px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXvgxTbLgI/AAAAAAAABzk/4--ZoXfW5jE/s320/Hayworth,+Rita+%28Affair+in+Trinidad%29_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279889484431437314" border="0" /></a>Rita Hayworth<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXv91X6wCI/AAAAAAAABzs/3wCjcYqjPjs/s1600-h/edwige-fenech-30972.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 189px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXv91X6wCI/AAAAAAAABzs/3wCjcYqjPjs/s320/edwige-fenech-30972.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279889983740231714" border="0" /></a>Edwige Fenech<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXxH0AuAeI/AAAAAAAABz0/OZy_p1bjeTU/s1600-h/Joanne1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXxH0AuAeI/AAAAAAAABz0/OZy_p1bjeTU/s320/Joanne1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279891254684811746" border="0" /></a>Joanne Whalley<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbV_B5BjRI/AAAAAAAAB1s/pw-hlMnSXaY/s1600-h/Angelina_Jolie_watching_dengerously_OAPH33.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 250px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbV_B5BjRI/AAAAAAAAB1s/pw-hlMnSXaY/s400/Angelina_Jolie_watching_dengerously_OAPH33.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280142891954572562" border="0" /></a>Angelina Jolie<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXyKUdskxI/AAAAAAAABz8/8hwC70me2qM/s1600-h/Annex+-+Charisse,+Cyd_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 353px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUXyKUdskxI/AAAAAAAABz8/8hwC70me2qM/s320/Annex+-+Charisse,+Cyd_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279892397267653394" border="0" /></a>Cyd Charisse<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUZ8esYWmsI/AAAAAAAAB0E/suBUA91LLDk/s1600-h/Annex+-+Tate,+Sharon_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 330px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUZ8esYWmsI/AAAAAAAAB0E/suBUA91LLDk/s320/Annex+-+Tate,+Sharon_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280044479889709762" border="0" /></a>Sharon Tate<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUZ9ieYI2OI/AAAAAAAAB0M/fJm07yzyIrw/s1600-h/Annex+-+Collins,+Joan_27.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 310px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUZ9ieYI2OI/AAAAAAAAB0M/fJm07yzyIrw/s320/Annex+-+Collins,+Joan_27.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280045644361816290" border="0" /></a>Joan Collins<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUaBSe8I7MI/AAAAAAAAB0U/nnGEjPlbD1Q/s1600-h/steele66.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 351px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUaBSe8I7MI/AAAAAAAAB0U/nnGEjPlbD1Q/s320/steele66.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280049767681420482" border="0" /></a>Barbara Steele<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUaoba4M4jI/AAAAAAAAB0k/JZdEpsfV6jw/s1600-h/01still.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 301px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUaoba4M4jI/AAAAAAAAB0k/JZdEpsfV6jw/s400/01still.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280092802163466802" border="0" /></a>Soledad Miranda<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbYvhatQXI/AAAAAAAAB2E/8Pw1i4uBvrQ/s1600-h/vaug71cu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 414px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbYvhatQXI/AAAAAAAAB2E/8Pw1i4uBvrQ/s400/vaug71cu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280145924074324338" border="0" /></a>Emmanuelle Vaugier<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbUkvrQjzI/AAAAAAAAB1c/c0sIlFcSMpk/s1600-h/Newmar,+Julie_04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 368px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbUkvrQjzI/AAAAAAAAB1c/c0sIlFcSMpk/s400/Newmar,+Julie_04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280141340876771122" border="0" /></a>Julie Newmar<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbVEfqbxSI/AAAAAAAAB1k/xl00Vqq8P0E/s1600-h/ElsaMartinelliB02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 368px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbVEfqbxSI/AAAAAAAAB1k/xl00Vqq8P0E/s400/ElsaMartinelliB02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280141886334158114" border="0" /></a>Elsa Martinelli<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbWdZWJkTI/AAAAAAAAB10/nLHYuTS6FnM/s1600-h/RitaMorenoC1205b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 348px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbWdZWJkTI/AAAAAAAAB10/nLHYuTS6FnM/s400/RitaMorenoC1205b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280143413646823730" border="0" /></a>Rita Moreno<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbdNEEmw_I/AAAAAAAAB2k/9i8cLofUSYo/s1600-h/joan2portrait.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbdNEEmw_I/AAAAAAAAB2k/9i8cLofUSYo/s400/joan2portrait.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280150829639582706" border="0" /></a>Joan Fontaine<br /><br /><br />And in keeping with the season, why not add a few <span style="font-weight: bold;">Honorable Mentions </span>of a few actresses that I would have loved to have added - and so I did. Special thanks to <a href="http://www.doctormacro1.info/index.html">Dr. Macro</a> for many of these high quality and amazing scans.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbJQVTmjeI/AAAAAAAAB00/tZhjj-KN_zE/s1600-h/Anne+Gwynne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 227px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbJQVTmjeI/AAAAAAAAB00/tZhjj-KN_zE/s400/Anne+Gwynne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280128895572938210" border="0" /></a>Anne Gwynne<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdkBuoLgU3I/AAAAAAAACCY/iieA0xb5J9o/s1600-h/christina_lindberg_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 411px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SdkBuoLgU3I/AAAAAAAACCY/iieA0xb5J9o/s400/christina_lindberg_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321286335286236018" border="0" /></a>Christina Lindberg<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbLq1EFNoI/AAAAAAAAB08/CyV2KKScpYk/s1600-h/locke.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 339px; height: 222px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbLq1EFNoI/AAAAAAAAB08/CyV2KKScpYk/s400/locke.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280131549797627522" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sondra Locke<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUmBe0C5dVI/AAAAAAAAB3E/ZzqaAQQygC8/s1600-h/Gale+Sondergaard+v60.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUmBe0C5dVI/AAAAAAAAB3E/ZzqaAQQygC8/s400/Gale+Sondergaard+v60.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280894404435473746" border="0" /></a>Gale Sondergaard<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbZ6HAjhiI/AAAAAAAAB2M/UysoQW9WzcM/s1600-h/Fran.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 318px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbZ6HAjhiI/AAAAAAAAB2M/UysoQW9WzcM/s400/Fran.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280147205475501602" border="0" /></a>Fran Jeffries<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbcem-YEEI/AAAAAAAAB2c/dlD0whtiQcM/s1600-h/chelo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 363px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbcem-YEEI/AAAAAAAAB2c/dlD0whtiQcM/s400/chelo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280150031554842690" border="0" /></a>Chelo Alonso<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUc0NrluYeI/AAAAAAAAB28/inzpDr5VTw0/s1600-h/18501_20_123_22lo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUc0NrluYeI/AAAAAAAAB28/inzpDr5VTw0/s400/18501_20_123_22lo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280246497759093218" border="0" /></a>Laura Elena Harring<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Happy Holidays from:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">- The Proprietor and Management of Trash Aesthetics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbePlDJk6I/AAAAAAAAB2s/Ym6B_fTopZI/s1600-h/Chick+Young.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 94px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUbePlDJk6I/AAAAAAAAB2s/Ym6B_fTopZI/s200/Chick+Young.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280151972363211682" border="0" /></a>Chick Young<br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">xx-oo<br /></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-91154467975597381012008-12-12T06:46:00.000-08:002008-12-12T07:48:37.469-08:00R.I.P. Bettie Page<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUJ7R_7BEOI/AAAAAAAAByc/_Lief1YZoXs/s1600-h/bettie_page_beach02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUJ7R_7BEOI/AAAAAAAAByc/_Lief1YZoXs/s400/bettie_page_beach02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278917262378602722" border="0" /></a>1923-2008<br /><br /></div>I am profoundly saddened at the loss of this incredible woman. She has been in my mind's eye since I was a small child. The world will miss and grieve Bettie, but she will live on forever.Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-80399577640371719772008-12-10T17:09:00.000-08:002008-12-10T19:48:53.167-08:00Spain - Day Five<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ST72VHW8vNI/AAAAAAAABws/f3PIi9WUZlo/s1600-h/Panorama_-_Toledo,_Spain_-_Dec_2006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 164px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/ST72VHW8vNI/AAAAAAAABws/f3PIi9WUZlo/s400/Panorama_-_Toledo,_Spain_-_Dec_2006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277926655937789138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Incredible <span style="font-weight: bold;">Toledo</span> - Just South of Madrid</span> <span style="font-size:78%;">(photo: Wiki)</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />DAY FIVE<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Firstly, click on that picture above - it's magnificent. Now then, as I said at the tail-end of the last post (DAY FOUR), I fell asleep quite late as was the custom by then and after about 2 hours of sleep, BAM! (btw, that's a <a href="http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Elzar">Chef Elzar </a>BAM!) - the phone went off. I thought it was my usual wake-up call, but was very pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of my former student and friend on the other end (the one who phoned while I was out, from the previous post don't ya know). "Wake up!" she exclaimed. I was truly dusting cobwebs out of my head - but eventually got on the trolley. "When the hell you coming down to Madrid? I'm only here a few more days." "Slight problem," she said, "I'm in Istanbul." "Istanbul eh?" I was not surprised. CNN had sent here there to oversee news activities as her Turkish (and French) are fluent - "Well then, I suspect you won't be rolling into Madrid anytime soon..." And so we wrapped for a good half hour, she had to get to work and I slept a bit more. She's really has amassed some significant accomplishments. In fact, I just got off the phone with her - and wow, she packed her bags in Istanbul and hurried to Mumbai to cover the tragic terrorist bombing and then finally headed back to Paris and then she is ultiamtely now in London. Talk about serious globetrotting! She has truly blossomed and I am most proud of her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUByzv1UUWI/AAAAAAAAByM/jWVMQN73oI8/s1600-h/teresa"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 144px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUByzv1UUWI/AAAAAAAAByM/jWVMQN73oI8/s200/teresa" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278344996617212258" border="0" /></a>Well, after my shower, breakfast and such it was off to the Ministry of Culture. My time at the Ministry Filmoteca was always well-spent and memorable. Not a soul spoke English there, so my Spanish skills were consistently put to the test and I am happy to report that I got by just fine. There were times, I am sure, where I probably was sounding a bit like Tarzan, but overall there were no problems. I spent a good 90 minutes going over press release kits, marketing ephemera, publicity stills, office memoranda, and so on, photocopying and selecting stills to be scanned at a high quality for publication at a later date. I ordered about 15-16 scanned stills, (to be transferred to a disc) and was told to pick them up the following morning. Brilliant start to a great day!<br /><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBTUPMSmAI/AAAAAAAABxE/J6J3Vf6lQyg/s1600-h/el+caldero"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBTUPMSmAI/AAAAAAAABxE/J6J3Vf6lQyg/s400/el+caldero" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278310370418792450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">El Caldero</span><br /></div><br />I met with Carlos and Anita for a lunch at El Caldero. El Caldero is a FANTASTIC restaurant about 10 minutes from my hotel. This was one of my favorite meals (and one of my friends' favorite restaurants - I can see why). This was a BIG meal. The main dish was a paella based dish, not paella proper, but similar. The rice was incredible - each grain popped in your mouth and the saffron was an explosion. We killed a lot of wine, a lot of appetizers, desert, and if you spend a decent amount on a lunch (and are liked by the staff), it is typical in Madrid to be served a free decanter of liquer after your meal. This time it was, I think, a boysenberry liquer. It was the perfect way to end a great meal. After a quick coffee we departed.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBveUcWjGI/AAAAAAAABx8/HHdwjtJsjZ0/s1600-h/Caldero1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBveUcWjGI/AAAAAAAABx8/HHdwjtJsjZ0/s400/Caldero1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278341329952607330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Fantastic food at "El Caldero" - highly recommended!</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBVwoJ7vOI/AAAAAAAABxM/AaMZzZEEfFg/s1600-h/plaza+mayor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBVwoJ7vOI/AAAAAAAABxM/AaMZzZEEfFg/s400/plaza+mayor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278313057179385058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Plaza Mayor</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBV5VvZ5RI/AAAAAAAABxU/bzZwOblUPMU/s1600-h/PLAZA-MAYOR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 206px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBV5VvZ5RI/AAAAAAAABxU/bzZwOblUPMU/s320/PLAZA-MAYOR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278313206855099666" border="0" /></a>After lunch we went for a grand walk - all the way down to the Plaza Mayor. I hadn't set foot in the Plaza Mayor since 1989 - just about 20 years. Although I had been to Madrid inbetween back then and this trip, it wasn't in the cards. So, as you can imagine, it was a significant moment when I entered. I recall having many drinks there when I was 19, the 38 year old me didn't have time to sit down and catch a few cocktails and tapas. Anita had to get to work and Carlos and I had business with a small but great movie memorabilia store called <a href="http://madrid.salir.com/casablanca-bailen_47">Casablanca</a>. We arrived and Carlos set me up with the gentlemen who ran the place, Carlos knows everyone, everywhere. I probably spent 90 minutes going through the hundreds of stills, mini-posters and one-sheets. I felt that in order to commemorate my interviews with Eugenio and Jorge - that I should buy a poster from each of these directors. The decision was made easy for me based on what was physically on hand. They had Jorge's "The Living Dead at The Manchester Morgue" (the orig. Spanish one-sheet which is HARD to come by) and although I would have loved Eugenio's "Horror Express", the only poster they had of Eugenio's was for a Krimis style thriller that he did in the early 60s, "Hypnosis." Also on hand was a mini of Jess Franco's genius "Miss Muerte!" The Goods:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBv93yWZwI/AAAAAAAAByE/hXTpECnHQqU/s1600-h/casablanca-bailen_47_0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBv93yWZwI/AAAAAAAAByE/hXTpECnHQqU/s400/casablanca-bailen_47_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278341872016058114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Casablanca (<em>Bailén</em>, 47, <em>Madrid)</em></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBmzPnw6QI/AAAAAAAABxc/2g3dZ9gsenU/s1600-h/hipnosis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBmzPnw6QI/AAAAAAAABxc/2g3dZ9gsenU/s400/hipnosis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278331793830897922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Eugenio Martin's <span style="font-style: italic;">"Hypnosis"</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBm_C1tzSI/AAAAAAAABxk/KF19sP7tO8M/s1600-h/No+Profanar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBm_C1tzSI/AAAAAAAABxk/KF19sP7tO8M/s400/No+Profanar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278331996558183714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Jorge's Genre Masterpiece: <span style="font-style: italic;">"No Profanar El Sueno de los Muertos"</span></span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBnGbCDsuI/AAAAAAAABxs/Iu7_t9jJLkc/s1600-h/bahia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBnGbCDsuI/AAAAAAAABxs/Iu7_t9jJLkc/s400/bahia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278332123311485666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The unrelated but seriously desired killer Spanish One Sheet<br />For Mario Bava's <span style="font-style: italic;">"Bay of Blood"</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBnh2cARpI/AAAAAAAABx0/vME3Xsj7TUo/s1600-h/muerte.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SUBnh2cARpI/AAAAAAAABx0/vME3Xsj7TUo/s400/muerte.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278332594524538514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">And a Spanish mini of Jess Franco's <span style="font-style: italic;">"Miss Muerte"</span></span><br /></div><br />I was a lucky boy indeed. The total for these posters was very reasonable and put a certain SNAP to my step for the long walk home. Speaking of which, the walk home from Casablanca was terrific. The guys at Casablanca told me to grab a taxi - that it was a long walk, I explained that a walk in Madrid was always a happy prospect. At a strolling pace it would have been about 30-40 minutes, but I was walking at a crisp pace - I should have stopped for tapas and cocktails on the way back but, as usual, I was pretty pooped after a full day of activities. After awhile I recognized a path that led me to the Plaza Tirso de Molina (lovely little square that I encountered daily) -<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/STi6BFfEQmI/AAAAAAAABv0/L5g-6gwM-Ss/s1600-h/tirso+de+molina.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/STi6BFfEQmI/AAAAAAAABv0/L5g-6gwM-Ss/s400/tirso+de+molina.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276171491279651426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Tirso de Molina at Night</span><br /></div><br />- which dove-tails into C/ Magdalena (where the Spanish Filmoteca is) which empties onto C/ Atocha which then takes you down to the Paseo del Prado (are you getting all of this down?) In retrospect, this was a really great itinerary for a walk and I should have done it more often. Had I been a proper <em>flâneur,</em> this would have been a regular route for me - I never really had the time. Next time for sure. I gave Carlos a call when I got back to the hotel and we set up lunch for Friday - I told him of my good fortune at Casablanca and he was very happy with my haul! I put the TV on and just tried to relax... That didn't last very long.<br /><br />Feeling rather restless, I decided I'd try my luck at chasing some girls. This is a serious problem if you are unwilling to go to a nightclub/disco and it happens to be a Thursday night. Around 10:30 I decided to go for a looooong walk and pop my head into as many cafes/bars as possible to try and find some single girls to "practice my Spanish" on. This simple, reasonable, and not too ambitious plan did not blossom in any measurable way... Eventually, I just decided to eeeny meeny miney mo it and walked into a nice little bar that had not one single girl in it, but had plenty of character nonetheless. I ordered a Patxaran and began a long conversation with a cool guy named Angel who was originally from The Dominican Republic. We talked baseball, politics, travel, the States, and of course, women for at least an hour. Angel, who was a pretty smooth dude, told me that I needed to come back Saturday at 8 when he was getting off work and that he would gladly take me to the proper places to meet lovely Spanish ladies and with him as a "wingman" things would go very well. I told him that a raincheck was definitely in order as I was leaving Saturday.<br /><br />Sooo, I walked back to my hotel and chatted with my buddy Jose in the lobby for about an hour and then set up lunch with Carlos and Anita the next day. After getting directions (it was walking distance) - I read for awhile and dozed off at the usual 3 or 4 a.m. Another fantastic day had sadly come to an end.Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-72738336189393025812008-11-21T11:12:00.000-08:002009-09-16T20:55:31.025-07:00Spain - Day Four<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSckus3LIBI/AAAAAAAABuU/esdcsFI0oPQ/s1600-h/gran+via"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSckus3LIBI/AAAAAAAABuU/esdcsFI0oPQ/s400/gran+via" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271222273595613202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Amazing and Elegant Gran Via</span><br /></div><br />You know the drill by now - alarm, shower, breakfast and taxi. The difference this particular morning (Wednesday) was the terribly shitty weather! All week long we had great weather - but the day Madrid decided to be temperamental - she did it with grand style. To begin with, it was cold - probably about 40 degrees (4 to 5 degrees Celsius) and WINDY! Thousands and thousands of umbrellas were blown inside out and destroyed, it was hailing and just generally shitty. It got a bit better later in the day, but this was the one stain on an otherwise perfect week of weather.<br /><br />And, once again, I forgot to get a receipt from my Taxi. And, the taxi had a bit of a time finding the address - but he finally felt that we were in the right row of numbers and we pulled over. I arrived early and hung out outside of Eugenio's building. An older woman popped out of the building and I decided to make SURE that I was at the right address. Of course, I asked her, in perfect Spanish if this was the case and she immediately responded "Oh, you are English?!" No, I responded "From the States" - "Oh, she said, I lived in Seattle for 10 years" - "Was my Spanish that bad?" I queried. Oh, no, not at all, but I knew you were either American or British, I'm originally from Germany." "Fantastic, I said, I know it well." "Of course, I love Madrid, but I really wish I was back in Seattle..." - - - And, so it went like this for about five minutes. Lovely woman, but it's always disheartening when people respond to you in English when you're doing well with the host language... I had a cigarette while waiting in the downpour (always the stylish gentlemen, I had my umbrella) and Anita and Carlos came along a few minutes later. Very happy to see them, we moved into the lobby of Eugenio's building.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYvBhpwd-I/AAAAAAAABs0/MKFgk9WXK98/s1600-h/horror"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYvBhpwd-I/AAAAAAAABs0/MKFgk9WXK98/s320/horror" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270952117143631842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A few Ad Mats for Eugenio's Classic of the Genre, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068713/">Horror Express</a> (1973)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYvZh0tI4I/AAAAAAAABs8/bAcv10-ecoo/s1600-h/Horrorexpress.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 230px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYvZh0tI4I/AAAAAAAABs8/bAcv10-ecoo/s320/Horrorexpress.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270952529506411394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Some very accomplished poster art on the various one sheets and quads</span><br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYuYYZ1eHI/AAAAAAAABsk/v7FPE_t1WtM/s1600-h/horror_express.2jpg-635x465.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYuYYZ1eHI/AAAAAAAABsk/v7FPE_t1WtM/s320/horror_express.2jpg-635x465.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270951410286295154" border="0" /></a> A moment later, Eugenio Martin (83 years young) answered the door. How impressive a man he is. He's 83, looks 73, and acts 63. Incredible. We sat down and started the interview - Eugenio was a charming, gracious, and incredibly informative interview - having worked across multiple genres (especially the horror film and the spaghetti western) and having worked in and out of the Spanish film industry (and on many international co-productions), his life's work and cumulative experiences made for brilliant conversation. He has directed many major talents during his career including <span style="font-style: italic;">James Mason, Lee Van Cleef, Christopher Lee, Telly Savales, Peter Cushing, Gina Lollobrigida, Carroll Baker, Clint Walker, Judy Geeson, Michael Craig, Chuck Connors</span>, among many others. He's a very modest man, when I told him that his legendary "Horror Express" was the centerpiece of many cherished memories (especially on one late-night occasion with my brother and grandfather) he thanked me - but I pushed a bit further to explain that mine was merely one story where there were many, many, many more (that particular filmed aired every month or two for the majority of the 1970s!) - he became very modest. I said, trust me, you've made an impact on many lives - at 83 years old, I would have been ashamed not to verbalize that.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYwD8N-wlI/AAAAAAAABtE/nm5jtuiUdkg/s1600-h/Eugenio,+Carlos+y+Yo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSYwD8N-wlI/AAAAAAAABtE/nm5jtuiUdkg/s320/Eugenio,+Carlos+y+Yo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270953258146251346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Left to Right) - Carlos Aguilar, Yours Truly, Eugenio Martin<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZBTiKlh3I/AAAAAAAABtk/jcNT55TE6KI/s1600-h/Circulo"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZBTiKlh3I/AAAAAAAABtk/jcNT55TE6KI/s320/Circulo" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270972217728272242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Circulo de Bellas Artes</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After our time with Eugenio it was of course time for lunch. The weather was still horrible and to top it off - the taxi ride was interminable. It seems there was some demonstrating in the center of Madrid (around the Gran Via area) by the police force, who, apparently, were very upset over wages, pensions, etc. It sounded like a soccer match - the chanting was incredibly loud and they were like a half mile away. At any rate, this demonstration was having a tremendous effect on Traffic and we just sort of sat for a long time. Carlos really wanted to take me for a great paella that day, but luck was not favoring us. His idea was to go to The Ciculo de Bellas Artes instead. I loved this place. <span class="body">Here's a nice summary from Frommers:</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="body"><br /><br />This former members-only club is now open to the general public, and if you dine out here, you may still get the feeling you're crashing a private party (a time-honored tradition in Madrid, incidentally). With its 1920s-style ceilings, chandeliers, artistic statues, and soaring pillars, the cafe lies in an arts center. Locals don't even know the place by its formal name, having nicknamed it la pecera, or aquarium. The food and drink are served in a palatial hall. At lunchtime join politicians and bankers from the nearby parliament or the Banco de España to enjoy a variety of pork, beef, fresh fish, and chicken dishes -- the menu is rotated daily</span></div></div><br />It was a lovely place and we were very happy to be indoors as the weather was still miserable. Not to mention we had a severely cute Andalucian waitress who took the pic of Carlos and I... Ahem, anyways... The food was great, the place was bustling with activity. Anita had to go teach her classes and Carlos and I stayed for quite some time enjoying a great after lunch hot chocolate which suited the weather perfectly.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZANojtaJI/AAAAAAAABtU/bYxj0iaCllY/s1600-h/hot+chocolate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZANojtaJI/AAAAAAAABtU/bYxj0iaCllY/s320/hot+chocolate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270971016853416082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Madrileños</em></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> LOVE their hot chocolate</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZAXVks7jI/AAAAAAAABtc/d_vMXaWCt0o/s1600-h/artes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZAXVks7jI/AAAAAAAABtc/d_vMXaWCt0o/s320/artes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270971183555997234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Should've talked more with the lovely Andalucian girl who took this pic!</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSbyUTQRSZI/AAAAAAAABt8/rUBSnSLh3PA/s1600-h/Guia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSbyUTQRSZI/AAAAAAAABt8/rUBSnSLh3PA/s320/Guia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271166844463565202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Another gift for me - I lost track after awhile.</span> <span style="font-size:85%;"> There were <span style="font-style: italic;">many</span>!</span><br /></div><br />This book above is particularly important as it catalogs, or rather. provides an anthology of nearly every Spanish horror film produced in the 20th and 21st centuries and commentaries on them. I was confused by the exclusion of a few films, like for example, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069838/">A Bell From Hell (La Campana del Infernio</a> 1973). I realized later when I read more carefully that this was an inventory and history of the Spanish FANTASTIC canon of films. Films that were not fantastic (in the literary sense of the word, see <span style="font-style: italic;">Todorov</span>) were not included. As A Bell From Hell has no supernatural elements it was not included. This book (which is impossible to find!!) was another in the long list of tremendous gifts from two good friends. Thanks you two!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZDyG6vumI/AAAAAAAABts/dNuobnGkucM/s1600-h/agua_lavanda_puig.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 222px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZDyG6vumI/AAAAAAAABts/dNuobnGkucM/s320/agua_lavanda_puig.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270974942013274722" border="0" /></a> I know that Carlos and Anita are going to laugh that I am including this - but, a running joke between us concerned a cologne/after shave that I love and had not been able to get here in the States. The bottle that I once had ran out about 20 years ago (my Grandfather had brought me a bottle back from Spain in the 70s). This scent has the distinguished honor of being Frank Sinatra's favorite cologne - he wore it daily. Of course, my logic is that if I wear it, then the modern equivalent of Ava Gardner will sniff me out... I am speaking of the legendary <span style="font-weight: bold;">Agua Lavanda!</span> Carlos wasn't a huge fan of it, but didn't mind it either - he wore it after shaving when he was in the military. I, on the other hand, love Agua Lavanda, and I'm not a Huge cologne guy - I definitely own a lot of different fragrances, but just put enough on so that only the person who should be smelling it - is actually smelling it. AND, I have worn this a few times since being home and have been told by two very lovely women (after hugging them) that it was amazing, "wow, you smell goooood" "what are you wearing?!" - proof's in the pudding amigo Carlos!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZEx60Ej3I/AAAAAAAABt0/LzI_IezzMQ8/s1600-h/royale_ambree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 244px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSZEx60Ej3I/AAAAAAAABt0/LzI_IezzMQ8/s320/royale_ambree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270976038275682162" border="0" /></a> I also picked up another scent from Spain that I loved - Royale Ambree. It's very different from Agua Lavanda which has strong base notes and very light lavender mid-notes that linger. Ambree has a strong citrus note, a lot like <span style="font-style: italic;">4711</span>. I love it - I'm a big fan of having a GOOD after-shave that interlaces with your own natural scent. Why? Mostly, because, the girls that I have known like it too. So. That's good enough for me. These two have served me well in the past, and God willing, will continue to do so in the future. Okay, enough on after-shave - but ya know - it was a big part of the day. Day four ladies and gentlemen - all about the after-shave... Okay, not so much, but I'm glad I was able to find these - even if the lovely saleswoman was thinking that I was a Grandpa in my tastes (which she didn't). Hey, I always go with the classics. There's a reason they're classics. <a href="http://www.basenotes.net/ID26120069.html">Agua Lavanda</a> launched in 1940! Now, that's some legs for a cologne.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSceSPNzrpI/AAAAAAAABuE/Bhue80KN2Wc/s1600-h/bilbao.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSceSPNzrpI/AAAAAAAABuE/Bhue80KN2Wc/s320/bilbao.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271215187531378322" border="0" /></a>Carlos and I also stopped into the Objetos de Arte Toledano store from the previous post where I picked up a few items (mostly art prints). We parted late in the afternoon and I had a few phone messages waiting for me when I returned to the hotel. A former student, now close friend, and lovely young lady had been working in Paris for <span style="font-style: italic;">CNN</span> and we had talked about her taking a train into Madrid - unfortunately she called on Antonio's shift. She spoke no Spanish, Antonio no English. Stalemate. She said she would call back. The other message was from my friend Pedro who is like a brother (we had lived together years ago and our families go back 60 plus years). Pedro lives north of Madrid in Bilbao (pictured) which is a home away from home for me. We had hoped to get together that week, but activities and business kept me in Madrid and he could just not break away. His message said that he would phone later too.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SScfnRomcbI/AAAAAAAABuM/OWBcSUXWHhI/s1600-h/Bilbao+2003-22.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SScfnRomcbI/AAAAAAAABuM/OWBcSUXWHhI/s320/Bilbao+2003-22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271216648469508530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Typical square in Bilbao</span><br /></div><br />I would have loved to get up to Bilbao. Pedro's family is my extended family and I had not seen his wife Nuria in ten years (no to mention their 4 year old daughter Paula). Plus there are sooo many special places in the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Fuenterrabia, Pamplona, and so on. At around 10 o'clock Pedro called and we talked 90 minutes or more about all sorts of things. His English is still VERY good and he was flabbergasted that my Spanish was so serviceable. We lived together when we were 18/19 years old - back then it was pretty awful. The funny thing is that I haven't practiced one bit since then!! We said adios and spoke a few days later. Either I am going back to Spain in the next year or two OR Pedro and his family are coming here for a decent visit - we've decided this much at least.<br /><br />It was about midnight when Pedro and I finished up our lengthy conversation. I watched some television, relaxed on the balcony, went down and talked with my friend Jose at the desk for an hour and finally went to bed around 3. As usual, sleep didn't kick in until an hour later. Day 5 was moments away. Thanks for dropping in and checking out my trip, much appreciated dear visitor.Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-14382994882712687472008-11-17T18:34:00.000-08:002008-11-17T19:08:15.269-08:00Spain - Day Three<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRuTZiqJ2sI/AAAAAAAABaU/GnFcCiNsTJg/s1600-h/plaze+de+espana"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRuTZiqJ2sI/AAAAAAAABaU/GnFcCiNsTJg/s400/plaze+de+espana" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267966256149551810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Plaza De Espana<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />DAY THREE<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Day three in Madrid began exactly as day two save for one small difference - I was set to interview a man whom I admired greatly just after breakfast. This is definitely a good way to start a day! So, once again, an early wake up call, shower, breakfast, and then a taxi over to Jorge's lovely home.<br /><br />The cabbie had a bit of a tough time locating the address (not sure why, it wasn't far away or too secluded) but Carlos reported the same thing from his taxi driver too. When I arrived, Carlos and Anita were waiting just outside for me. I hopped out of the cab (forgetting to get a receipt - which I did at least a dozen times, not good for an expense report) and the three of us headed up to Jorge's home.<br /><br />Jorge met us at the door where I was introduced to him and his wife. After a few moments of conversation between Carlos, Anita and Jorge who were catching up on various current affairs, we sat down in a well lit corner (amongst Jorge's thousands of books) for the interview. I began by telling him of my admiration for his work and especially for the film that has brought him the most international acclaim, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Living-Manchester-Morgue-Two-Disc-Special/dp/B000YKI4U4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1226949626&sr=8-1">The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue</a> (1974). If you are not familiar with this film and you consider yourself something of a zombie aficionado then you must get a hold of this film. It is a true masterpiece of the genre.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRuV_3zVLFI/AAAAAAAABno/HKA9-bSxMtU/s1600-h/GRAU.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 343px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRuV_3zVLFI/AAAAAAAABno/HKA9-bSxMtU/s320/GRAU.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267969113683471442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Ray Lovelocke in:<br />No Profanar el Sueno de los Muertos (The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue)</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHFv0VYRZI/AAAAAAAABqc/6qR_vQrfk48/s1600-h/Jorge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 354px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHFv0VYRZI/AAAAAAAABqc/6qR_vQrfk48/s320/Jorge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269710464293029266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Me and Jorge Grau - a great guy and a wonderful interview</span><br /></div><br />My interview with Jorge went perfect. Anita Haas had generously (on several occasions) lent her translation skills - my Spanish is good enough to get the gist of conversations, but one small word can completely change the meaning of a sentence or group of sentences. In the case of Jorge, her skills were definitely needed as Jorge spoke little to no English and my Spanish was reliable enough to follow his answers but not in total comprehension. Carlos, of course, was indispensable (the running joke was to be careful with my compliments, I had already called him a genius, a saint, nearing God-like proportions, and Anita was telling me that his head was growing measurably with my compliments).<br /><br />After our visit with Jorge, the three of us went to their friend Jesus' DVD store. Unfortunately, Jesus was waiting for a shipment of many of the titles I was on the market for. It was still a lot of fun and I was able to buy several movies that I needed for my dissertation which are not readily available in the States. Anita had asked if I had a suggestion for something that her English students would both enjoy and learn from (as we're both educators). After a brief moment, my knee-jerk reaction (with Halloween rapidly approaching) was Walt Disney's "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051850/">The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</a>." I was very pleased to hear a few days later that my suggestion was a big success with her classes (well, how can you go wrong with Bing Crosby and Washington Irving?).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHIa4NFdOI/AAAAAAAABqk/PCDNu8PoTQw/s1600-h/Delocio+Negocio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHIa4NFdOI/AAAAAAAABqk/PCDNu8PoTQw/s320/Delocio+Negocio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269713403089614050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Jesus and I bonded over our love of Natalie Wood</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHIubghbUI/AAAAAAAABqs/QTMFamRZ8k8/s1600-h/Jesus+dvd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHIubghbUI/AAAAAAAABqs/QTMFamRZ8k8/s320/Jesus+dvd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269713738983894338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Jesus had a great selection of titles</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">- one in particular is below!</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHM3t5d5sI/AAAAAAAABq8/0SDy9nKCCmA/s1600-h/cartadesconocida_dvd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 264px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHM3t5d5sI/AAAAAAAABq8/0SDy9nKCCmA/s320/cartadesconocida_dvd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718296585692866" border="0" /></a>One item that I was THRILLED to find in Delocio Negocio was <span style="font-style: italic;">Max</span> <em>Ophüls</em>' sublime masterpiece and 7 hanky tear-jerker "<a href="http://www.filmsite.org/lettf.html">Letter From an Unknown Woman</a>" 1948. It is criminal that one of the great masterworks of the 20th century is so hard to obtain. The dvd was multi-region and loaded up in the university dvd players when I returned home. I adore this film - it is the quintessential romantic film, bittersweet, tragic and heartbreaking. <em></em>I am anxious to show this film to classes - I always wanted to screen it for the history of film courses, but alas, it was extremely hard to come by. So, in addition to a few titles that Jesus had in stock that I needed - this hidden treasure made the visit to the store all the more special.<br /><br />Next up? Lunch of course. Nearby was a place that Carlos and Anita were very fond of - La Taberna Andaluza la Flamenca or "La Flamenca" on calle Alvarez. The meal was fantastic, really incredible.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHMFZYpElI/AAAAAAAABq0/Sk9WE9ELUk4/s1600-h/Flamenca"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSHMFZYpElI/AAAAAAAABq0/Sk9WE9ELUk4/s320/Flamenca" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269717432085844562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A Modest Entrance - Great Pleasures Inside</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIqmezjrnI/AAAAAAAABrM/51RBOdTt0VI/s1600-h/flameca.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIqmezjrnI/AAAAAAAABrM/51RBOdTt0VI/s320/flameca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269821354569608818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">An Andalucian Flamenca keeps you company while you dine</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">- we sat underneath her.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIrB2PvGHI/AAAAAAAABrU/xA0Py6AqyT4/s1600-h/Carlos,+Anita+Flameca.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIrB2PvGHI/AAAAAAAABrU/xA0Py6AqyT4/s320/Carlos,+Anita+Flameca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269821824718280818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Spanish Saint of European Horor, The Toronto Majesty of Terror and The Chocolate Cake that I can still taste in my mind...</span><br /><br /></div>Lunch was, like all the lunches in Madrid, incredible. We three said adios until later and I headed home, but not before snapping a pic of this lovely fresco outside of the Tavern.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSItzVvKiZI/AAAAAAAABrc/pIqmK_MtEso/s1600-h/fresco.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSItzVvKiZI/AAAAAAAABrc/pIqmK_MtEso/s320/fresco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269824874008447378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Beauty</span><br /></div><br />After relaxing in the hotel for a little bit - chilling out with a good Spanish soap opera, a few ciggies on the balcony - I got restless and it was time for a gran paseo. On the way back from this long walk I stopped to take some photos of a great shoppe across from the Prado. It is quite famous in that area - it's called "Objetos de Arte Toledano" and I bought a few things in there a few days later. My only regret was NOT buying one of the Templar rings that they had for sale. Nevertheless, I've found some similar ones on ebay and Christmas is coming up... Overall, my favorite shoppe for gifts and Medieval items. Just look at the facade of this place!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIuNNGQzeI/AAAAAAAABrk/MAMWyVyTA08/s1600-h/toledano.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIuNNGQzeI/AAAAAAAABrk/MAMWyVyTA08/s320/toledano.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269825318366006754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Very life-like</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIuUHU8mZI/AAAAAAAABrs/QxCs6HoxzS4/s1600-h/toledano1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIuUHU8mZI/AAAAAAAABrs/QxCs6HoxzS4/s320/toledano1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269825437076068754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A Museum of Medieval Templars? I'm ON IT!</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIuc9fQooI/AAAAAAAABr0/8bg3qeIdKVk/s1600-h/toledano2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIuc9fQooI/AAAAAAAABr0/8bg3qeIdKVk/s320/toledano2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269825589053792898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">"I dub thee... Blind Templar # 4 in Tombs of the Blind Dead"</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIulWRPs5I/AAAAAAAABr8/yNTbgeXF6eQ/s1600-h/toledano3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIulWRPs5I/AAAAAAAABr8/yNTbgeXF6eQ/s320/toledano3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269825733144851346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Loved this place. A Templar ring is mine come Decemeber.</span><br /></div><br />Back to the hotel - relaxed for a bit and then I felt I should get to a computer and prepare for my interview with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0554632/">Eugenio Martin</a> which was scheduled for the next morning. It was incredible to be interviewing another director whom I held in such high regard and had contributed so much to the canon of Spanish cinema. My friend Antonio at the hotel desk gave me loose directions to an Internet Cafe that was supposedly nearby on Atocha. And so about 7 o'clock I felt I was up for an excursion - sure enough I found it - didn't take too long. Let's see if I can bring it up on Google.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIePIeE4uI/AAAAAAAABrE/dOcSJvBx9Uo/s1600-h/Internet+Cafe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 148px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSIePIeE4uI/AAAAAAAABrE/dOcSJvBx9Uo/s320/Internet+Cafe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269807759297405666" border="0" /></a><br />Well dammit, I couldn't get Google Street to give me a pic of the internet cafe - but it was about 20 yards to the right of this pic on Atocha. You paid about 2 bucks for the hour - cheap enough. I quickly had a seat and checked email - and for fuck-sakes, I wound up answering emails from students about assignments and such for about 15 minutes - you go 7,000 miles away and there is just NO ESCAPE from teaching. Okay, so after that, I essentially just did some more research about Eugenio Martin's career apart from the films I was familiar with in order to have a productive and efficient interview with him in the morning. I farted around for a bit - and then headed back to the hotel - stopping by for a quick beer on the way.<br /><br />I didn't eat dinner that night - instead after the beer I stopped in a store and bought some snacks for the room and big ass bottle of mango juice - which was soooooo good. Once again, I just couldn't get to sleep despite being OVER tired, Madrid just wouldn't let me - it kept whispering - "no, don't sleep - enjoy as much as possible" - and I did. Somehow I found energy every morning despite only getting a few hours a night all week long. Must be some magic dust in the Madrid ether.<br /><br />Eugenio Martin on day 4.Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-38072039241398753512008-11-09T19:59:00.000-08:002008-11-10T19:07:39.260-08:00Spain - Day Two<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe3yZVm4uI/AAAAAAAABRw/KPE95ILLOd0/s1600-h/MadridCibeles.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe3yZVm4uI/AAAAAAAABRw/KPE95ILLOd0/s400/MadridCibeles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266880365655941858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Plaza de Cibeles </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DAY TWO </span><br /><br /></div>These posts about my recent trip to Spain are structured around personal insights and memories - they will include silly minutiae that may bore you to tears. For this I apologize, but these entries amount to essentially a very personal project - and I would like to share it with anyone who is interested. So, continuing where I left off - when I returned from dinner and drinks with Carlos and Anita on Sunday night I had a new book in my hands. A book that was and is CRUCIAL to my dissertation. Carlos' <span style="font-style: italic;">Cine Fantastico y de Terror Espanol 1900 - 1983 </span>(now out of print) which I quickly begain to devour - with a Spanish dictionary at my side I was pleased that I could understand just about every paragraph fully.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRezUtJyfgI/AAAAAAAABRQ/BKp1NLrBkto/s1600-h/Books.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRezUtJyfgI/AAAAAAAABRQ/BKp1NLrBkto/s320/Books.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266875457532493314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The first night's gift is the book on the left</span><br /></div><br />I read for an hour or two and eventually faded off around 4 am. My wake up call was set for 7:30 and I hopped outta bed and into the shower. 20 minutes later I was having my standard breakfast. By the end of the week the staff knew exactly what to bring me - cafe con leche, fresh squeezed orange juice, and a kind of croissant with butter and apricot jam - simple, delicious and plenty to get me going.<br /><br />First stop for the day was the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Filmoteca Espanola</span> (the Spanish Film Archive) which is an arm of the Spanish Government - Ministry of Culture. The building is a labyrinth of halls, stairs, rooms, floors - good Lord, it took me awhile to get to know this place - it was HUGE.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRez9Rx3-BI/AAAAAAAABRY/30O2vfEEtM0/s1600-h/ministry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRez9Rx3-BI/AAAAAAAABRY/30O2vfEEtM0/s320/ministry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266876154559068178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Spanish Filmoteca</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe0cuNERgI/AAAAAAAABRg/kaC5JmQ3ju0/s1600-h/ministry1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe0cuNERgI/AAAAAAAABRg/kaC5JmQ3ju0/s320/ministry1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266876694765258242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Damn Big Door</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe01Cb0a1I/AAAAAAAABRo/xY3oSKUdLTM/s1600-h/ministry2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe01Cb0a1I/AAAAAAAABRo/xY3oSKUdLTM/s320/ministry2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266877112512703314" border="0" /></a><br />I met with a lovely and fantastic woman - Margarita, who had been a major critic for years and has been with the Archive for some time now. Margarita and I spoke casually for quite awhile and then the conversation turned very informative and morphed into an interview with Marga explaining, in good detail, the economic genesis of my period of inquiry as well as some of the literary traditions and aesthetic considerations. It was a lovely interview.<br /><br />I finished with the Filmoteca and went back to the hotel. Carlos and I had made plans to meet for a light lunch around 2 o'clock. He chose one of his favorite (if not his favorite) restaurants for calamari (they claim to have the "Best in Madrid") which was right down the street at Atocha. The restaurant (and there's about 3 in Madrid) is called Brillante.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe6c8NXzKI/AAAAAAAABR4/gJexA9kNcF8/s1600-h/brillente"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRe6c8NXzKI/AAAAAAAABR4/gJexA9kNcF8/s320/brillente" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266883295594400930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Brillante Claims - "The Best Calamari in Madrid" <span style="font-size:78%;">(photo: </span></span><span style="font-size:78%;">Noain)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRh-S_FeEuI/AAAAAAAABSI/5debqAMjR7g/s1600-h/brillante1"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRh-S_FeEuI/AAAAAAAABSI/5debqAMjR7g/s320/brillante1" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267098628846916322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Awesome Calamari - I agree. Great place & 2 minutes from Hotel</span> <span style="font-size:78%;">(photo: as above)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Carlos met me in the lobby of my hotel and we strolled casually to Brillante (like 2 minutes away) where we had a delicious lunch. He also (again!) had another gift for me. Book two of his century long inquiry of the Spanish Horror Film, and like the first book, personally inscribed to me. We talked more and casually about our silver screen starlets, women that we adored, our favorite directors, movies, actors, writers, producers, you name it. Carlos has worked with and knows just about everybody in the European cinema world, not to mention that <span style="font-style: italic;">he himself </span>is a celebrity! Carlos and I said our goodbye's and he told me to ring him that night for directions to Jorge Grau's home.<br /><br />After lunch I did some excursions, stopping here and there for a drink - but I was still in the throes of jet lag and headed back to the hotel to rest for awhile. I came down for an early dinner (by Spanish standards - very early) and again was very pleased with the kitchen at my hotel. I had a plate full of chorizo, a fruit of the sea, fresh squeezed orange juice, a shit load of bread, a few glasses of Rioja, a boyseberry cake and cafe con leche (about 16 or 17.00 bucks - incredible).<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRjkyOew_-I/AAAAAAAABSQ/hJtLWqhl9Q4/s1600-h/Chorizo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRjkyOew_-I/AAAAAAAABSQ/hJtLWqhl9Q4/s320/Chorizo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267211315741523938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Fruit of the Sea and a big ol' plate of Chorizo</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After patting my belly and a few ciggies, it was time to walk off all that food. Un pequito paseo followed that meal (and every meal). I cherished these quality "alone" times. True, Madrid is a city of millions, but it was very quiet in many of the places that I strolled and It was always a good time for reflection. These walks also gave me ample mental time to clear any residual cobwebs and I could focus on important tasks at hand (like my interview with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336076/">Jorge Grau</a> the next morning).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRjnTZ3hgrI/AAAAAAAABSY/IDgr5arZhOM/s1600-h/Poquito+Paseo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRjnTZ3hgrI/AAAAAAAABSY/IDgr5arZhOM/s320/Poquito+Paseo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267214084757095090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Despite the millions, you can isolate yourself and your mind rather easily...</span><br /></div></div></div><br />After a good and long walk I returned to my modest room to prepare questions for a man that I was very honored and excited to meet. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Living-Manchester-Morgue-Two-Disc-Special/dp/B000YKI4U4">The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue</a> (Although, I prefer its Spanish title: <span style="font-style: italic;">No Profanar El Sueno de Lost Muertos</span>) is entirely deserving of its legendary, cult status. It delivers many highly accomplished shocks, thrills, terror, and some rather biting (no pun intended) social commentary. It is beautifully shot and composed, paced, acted, and rates (in my opinion) just under Romero's contemporary definition of the genre (Night of the Living Dead, 1968).<br /><br />After coming up with a collection of softball and hardball questions for Jorge, I went on to my balcony - had a smoke, and then bedded down for the evening. Sleep wouldn't come for awhile, but I did manage to get a few hours before the 8 o'clock wake up call. I will say (although this did not happen on DAY TWO) that in honor of my great meeting with Jorge Grau, I was able to buy the original Spanish One Sheet for <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue</span> - and was a very very happy boy for it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRjuq10OUUI/AAAAAAAABSg/-bv5Lwst_pI/s1600-h/No+Profanar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRjuq10OUUI/AAAAAAAABSg/-bv5Lwst_pI/s320/No+Profanar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267222183977832770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Ah, The Original Spanish One Sheet - <em>Magnifico!</em></span></div><br />DAY TWO was easy and smooooth. I was slowly getting adjusted to the time change and had been the lucky recipient of the incredible generoisty and kindness of Carlos Aguilar and Anita Haas. All was well with the world...Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-16310165853613684292008-11-06T20:45:00.000-08:002008-11-17T19:27:03.041-08:00"Un Hombre Con Un Backpack de Terror" or "Diary of an Academic Engrossed in Horror Films"<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQZVs9uqc3I/AAAAAAAABOg/aKA8XQ7k6kM/s1600-h/Un+Hombre.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQZVs9uqc3I/AAAAAAAABOg/aKA8XQ7k6kM/s400/Un+Hombre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261987445601891186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Me in the Plaza Mayor (I hadn't stepped foot in there for 20 years)</span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size:100%;">DAY ONE</span></span><br /></div></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I worked hard for nearly a year to secure a grant from my University. The grant was designed around conducting </span><span style="font-size:100%;">international research</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> in Madrid for my doctoral dissertation. It was a bumpy road. The money was elusive, but in the end, with the help of some very good people - it materialized and I set the week for mid-October. The bulk of the research (sadly, only a week) was centered around, archival investigations and interviews regarding the Spanish horror film boom of the late 1960s and 1970s. The quality and the quantity of my research turned out to be phenomenal - especially since I only had 5 weekdays to do it!<br /><br />The day came to leave (Saturday, Oct. 18) and my Mom drove me to the airport. We reminisced about our memories of Spain. We had an apartment in Las Palmas (one of Spain's Canary Islands - just off the coast of Morocco). Las Palmas is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I forever gave my Grandparents shit for selling the apartment in 1980, but so goes life...<br /><br />Check in at the North Terminal in Detroit was fast and easy. The flight to Chicago - the same. I had three hours to kill in O'Hare (not one of my favorite airports due to its hectic pace and HIGH volume of travelers). The Iberia gate opened, we boarded, and departed on time. Lovely. We landed in Madrid about eight hours later - I hadn't stepped foot on Spanish soil in ten years and it felt very, very good.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQiXnRfGcsI/AAAAAAAABOw/3IdA1qz9aqQ/s1600-h/barajas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQiXnRfGcsI/AAAAAAAABOw/3IdA1qz9aqQ/s400/barajas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262622865546965698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Barajas is incredible<br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQiX7mA9nzI/AAAAAAAABO4/3V1vV3S_ozE/s1600-h/barajas_airport_rrp06_03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQiX7mA9nzI/AAAAAAAABO4/3V1vV3S_ozE/s320/barajas_airport_rrp06_03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262623214655086386" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQiYRgbt0_I/AAAAAAAABPA/NfHY9Xi96Ms/s1600-h/barajas_airport_rrp06_10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SQiYRgbt0_I/AAAAAAAABPA/NfHY9Xi96Ms/s320/barajas_airport_rrp06_10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262623591113806834" border="0" /></a> Barajas is definitely NOT the major airport I remember from the 7os. The main reason for this is because it's NOT. It's a brand new airport that truly has no rival in Europe. Some of the data regarding Barajas: Terminal 4, designed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antonio_Lamela&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Antonio Lamela (page does not exist)">Antonio Lamela</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rogers" title="Richard Rogers">Richard Rogers</a> (winning team of the 2006 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_Prize" title="Stirling Prize">Stirling Prize</a>), and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carillion" title="Carillion" class="mw-redirect">TPS Engineers</a>, (winning team of the 2006 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IStructE_Awards" title="IStructE Awards" class="mw-redirect">IStructE Award</a> for Commercial Structures)<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Barajas_International_Airport#cite_note-5" title=""><span> </span></a></sup>was built by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrovial" title="Ferrovial" class="mw-redirect">Ferrovial</a><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Barajas_International_Airport#cite_note-6" title=""><span> </span></a></sup>and inaugurated on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_5" title="February 5">February 5</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006" title="2006">2006</a>. Terminal 4 is one of the world's largest airport terminals in terms of area, with 760,000 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_meter" title="Square meter" class="mw-redirect">square meters</a> (8,180,572 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_feet" title="Square feet" class="mw-redirect">square feet</a>) in separate landside and airside structures. Consisting of a main building, T4 (470,000 m²), and satellite building, T4S (290,000 m²), which are separated by approximately 2.5 km. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport" title="Hong Kong International Airport">Hong Kong International Airport</a> still holds the title for the world's largest single terminal building (Terminal 1) at 570,000 square meter. The new Terminal 4 is meant to give passengers a stress-free start to their journey. This is managed through careful use of illumination, available by glass panes instead of walls and numerous domes in the roof which allow natural light to pass through. With the new addition, Barajas is designed to handle 70 million passengers annually. Personally, it reminds me of a Ken Adam production design from one of his many James Bond films - it is an AMAZING airport. ( data is from Wiki entry on Barajas).<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span>I quickly found a taxi at the top of the queue and told the driver "the Hotel Mora, Paseo Del Prado." And thus began a week of intense Spanish. A word about my Spanish. It's not great, but it's not that bad either. It's actually really VERY good when I am having a conversation with myself. When I have the time (as opposed to real time) to form the sentences in my head - they are quite good. But the real time conversation is always more difficult, more fun, and challenging. I understand nearly all which is said to me and respond okay - but taking time to choose the right words is the rub. By the end of the week however, my Spanish was blossoming and had I another week or two - my Spanish tongue would have been quite a bit more cunning.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPGrL08pxI/AAAAAAAABQw/tQKplBwVuoQ/s1600-h/first+pic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPGrL08pxI/AAAAAAAABQw/tQKplBwVuoQ/s320/first+pic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265770834537785106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">First pic taken. After much coffee I walked right over to the Prado and waited for it to open.</span><br /></div><br />I got into the taxi queue at Barajas and we drove into a very quiet, sleeping Madrid. It was about 7 am on a Sunday morning. I chatted with the cabbie - testing my Spanish - I passed for the most part. We arrived to the Paseo Del Prado and I checked into my Hotel. As is the case when you arrive early in a city - you can't check in until typically 2 pm. It was 7:30. I had about 7 hours to kill. I checked my baggage with the hotel and 3 cafe con leche's and several cigarettes later - 9 am rolled around and the Prado Museum (just across the street mind you) opened its glorious doors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO6BDFT7KI/AAAAAAAABPw/7qfwH_bOc8Q/s1600-h/pradomuseum.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO6BDFT7KI/AAAAAAAABPw/7qfwH_bOc8Q/s320/pradomuseum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265756916496460962" border="0" /></a><br />So, I spent the morning with Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, Dali, Rubens, and my personal favorite Jose de Ribera. I was one tired dude though and the jet-lag was getting the best of me... After about 3 hours I stopped into the small gift shoppe in the Museum and quickly fell in love with the girl working there. In fact, I rehearsed a complex compliment in Spanish to tell her (roughly explaining to her that she was more beautiful than anything hangin in the entire building) but I chickened out in the last minute, I know, I know, but hey, I was very fucking tired... Truth be told, I was falling in love with a girl every two minutes - I couldn't help it. In Europe (especially Spain) the girls look like the just walked off of the set of a Fellini film - high heels, nylons, skirt, satin blouse, necklace, scarf, bit of make-up to accentuate the lips and eyes - JODER! Too much visual stimulation. In Detroit, girls walk around in sweats and Ugg Boots. By comparison, I was in heaven. This was one of the MAJOR reasons I was kicking and screaming all the way to the ariport a week later... Anyways, so where was I? Oh yeah, the masters - well here's one of em' for ya!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO8cinBGDI/AAAAAAAABQA/0WEECEsSqjc/s1600-h/goya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO8cinBGDI/AAAAAAAABQA/0WEECEsSqjc/s320/goya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265759587839055922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Goya (check out The Naked Maja at the Base!)<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />2 o'clock rolled around and I went back to my lovely little hotel and checked in. The lobby:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO-bm87a0I/AAAAAAAABQI/0Woog_M26q0/s1600-h/lobby.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO-bm87a0I/AAAAAAAABQI/0Woog_M26q0/s320/lobby.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265761770848086850" border="0" /></a><br />My room? Small? You be the judge...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO-ypjYe6I/AAAAAAAABQQ/k28Rci4rJbM/s1600-h/room.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRO-ypjYe6I/AAAAAAAABQQ/k28Rci4rJbM/s320/room.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265762166683237282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Be it ever so humble...</span><br /><br /></div>Ah, but don't underestimate this nugget! My needs were simple, I needed a nice, clean, affordable hotel and Mora delivered beautifully. I was SO incredibly busy every day that my hotel was merely a place to go at the end of the day and essentially prepare for the next day's events and of course to take a load off and to sleep. The hotel is lovely, it has a great lil' cafe with very good food, a very friendly staff (I was hanging out with the staff at night regularly), is VERY centrally located, had a new plasma tv, a small but brand new bathroom and was only 60 Euros a night! Beat that! A hostel is only going to run slightly cheaper and I'm too damn old for a hostel these days - the Hotel Mora was perfect. Thank you Carlos for the recommendation - I will definitely stay there again next trip. Views from the balcony which is on the Paseo del Prado - to the right is Atocha railway station - yes it's that close.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPAn9V4MhI/AAAAAAAABQY/KMx_mbqgS2g/s1600-h/balcony.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPAn9V4MhI/AAAAAAAABQY/KMx_mbqgS2g/s320/balcony.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265764182039998994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Left View<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPA0PpOqXI/AAAAAAAABQg/U3RmRxAgIII/s1600-h/balcony+right.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPA0PpOqXI/AAAAAAAABQg/U3RmRxAgIII/s320/balcony+right.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265764393111431538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Right View</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Now, the trick was NOT to crash. Anyone who knows jet-lag - knows that even though you've been up for like 30 hours - you don't want to nap or you'll have trouble sleeping that night. I took a 20-30 minute power nap and then showered - grabbed some coffee downstairs and called the historian, author, critic, cinema personality, and all around fantastic caballero - <a href="http://www.carlosaguilar.net/">Carlos Aguilar</a> (with whom I had been corresponding for many months) I phoned his equally brilliant and super lovely wife, the Canadian author Anita Haas and the three of us set up plans to meet that night (Sunday) for drinks, food, conversation, and in retrospect, perhaps the most special night of my trip. We went to La Taberna de Conspiradores which was just around the corner - it was about 9:30 when we arrived. Carlos quickly told me he had inerviews set up with Jorge Grau and Eugenio Martin if I would like... If I would like?! Absolutely! What a great start to the week! Carlos also gave me the first of many gifts that night - more on that in the next post. We talked about many many topics and realized that we had a tremendous amount in common and it felt like we had been friends for a very long time, easily and comfortably we got to know one another - it was a very special evening (and my GOD, the food!!!!!!) How I wish I had that platter of Chorizo and other meat specialites in front of me again (what was the name of the hot one again? Jamon Potate?) and my personal favorite drink for relaxation in Spain -<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patxaran">Patxaran</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSI1XeP7SRI/AAAAAAAABsE/iQe7Hi3Hp4o/s1600-h/taberna_de_conspiradores_moratin_0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SSI1XeP7SRI/AAAAAAAABsE/iQe7Hi3Hp4o/s320/taberna_de_conspiradores_moratin_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269833191350028562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Taberna de Conspiradores during the day</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPE0VtFOII/AAAAAAAABQo/HOEbJjQz-F0/s1600-h/Sunday+Night.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRPE0VtFOII/AAAAAAAABQo/HOEbJjQz-F0/s320/Sunday+Night.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265768792784713858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A Special First Night in Madrid - Carlos, Anita y Yo</span><br /></div><br />I was OVER-TIRED when I got back to the hotel and didn't get to sleep until about 4 am - with a wake up call for 7:30 - but I didn't care. I was in Spain. A country I am always at home in. I'll post pics of yours truly at two years old in Las Palmas (back in 1972) - I am always welcomed in this country - she and I have had a long and beautiful love affair.<br /><br /></div></div></div></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-28354493046470883302008-07-30T21:51:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:23:40.839-08:00The 12 Movies MemeRoss over at AiP (Anchorwoman in Peril!) has tagged me. As he himself was tagged just like this:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Tag! You’re it... Or rather I’m it – at least for the rest of this post – because AiP has been tagged to take part in </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://lazyeyetheatre.blogspot.com/2008/07/12-movies-meme.html">The 12 Movies Meme</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> by Piper at </span><em style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://lazyeyetheatre.blogspot.com/">Lazy Eye Theatre</a></em><span style="font-style: italic;">. Inspired by </span><strong style="font-style: italic;">Juno</strong> screenwriter Diablo Cody’s recently announced programme for the <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=54856712">New Beverly Cinema</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, Piper is asking other bloggers to imagine their own ideal twelve-night movie stint, preferably with some sort of thread uniting the whole thing."</span><br /><br />Thanks Ross - I'll pick up the torch then:<br /><br />As the curse goes, I have to tag five people when my list is done. Otherwise the pentagram will appear not only on my hand when the lunar cycle matures, but on the bodies of those I will kill! My cursed blood-lust must be satiated! So, I hope the five that I tag will comply.<br /><br />As for my list? It's representative of my tastes in cinema and my personality - speaking generally. Now I'm not Diablo Cody or Satan Duke or Lucifer Magillicutty. I'm just Chick Young, and these are the films I would book into The New Beverly Cinema if I had my druthers.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />MONDAY - TUESDAY</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEpCgMN-MI/AAAAAAAABEg/umhLYmV3Erc/s1600-h/murnau_sunrise.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 253px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEpCgMN-MI/AAAAAAAABEg/umhLYmV3Erc/s320/murnau_sunrise.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229005765331515586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEpVApshtI/AAAAAAAABEo/UXND1Dd_WJg/s1600-h/bud_abbott_lou_costello_meet_frankenstein.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 255px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEpVApshtI/AAAAAAAABEo/UXND1Dd_WJg/s320/bud_abbott_lou_costello_meet_frankenstein.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229006083282732754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We'll kick things off with the film that Francois Truffaut claimed was "the most beautiful film in the history of cinema." And, ya know what? I agree. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunrise</span> is beyond beauty, it is perhaps the purest expression of cinematic "art" one can ever truly find. From the elegance of its simple themes to the sparse use of its intertitles (the film is almost entirely visual) Sunrise is cinematic transcendence - beyond the world of criticism, its a relic of otherworldly riches.<br /><br />Pair Sunrise with <span style="font-weight: bold;">Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein</span> (the author's favorite film of all time) and you've got one hot night baby. The film is a perfect synthesis of genuine thrills and solid comedic writing and performance. The monsters play it straight and let Bud and Lou provide most of the laughs; this may well be the secret to its endurance. I want to see legions of new fans flock to this mighty masterpiece!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEqXewm1vI/AAAAAAAABEw/jDcc5GPgeCY/s1600-h/Letter_from_unknown_woman_%281948%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 258px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEqXewm1vI/AAAAAAAABEw/jDcc5GPgeCY/s320/Letter_from_unknown_woman_%281948%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229007225236150002" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEs-ezyctI/AAAAAAAABFI/SnR04Q_f3Ec/s1600-h/Lonely+Hunter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 262px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEs-ezyctI/AAAAAAAABFI/SnR04Q_f3Ec/s320/Lonely+Hunter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229010094287647442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here's a melodrama medley. A super soaker full of tragic waters if you will. Max Ophüls' masterpiece <span style="font-weight: bold;">Letter From an Unknown Woman</span> and Robert Miller's brilliant <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Heart is a Lonely Hunter</span>. Ophüls leaves you breathless with his dazzling camerawork and 7 hanky story while Miller's Lonely Hunter gives us Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke - a pair of misfits who find comfort in each other's company. Arkin will have the theater sobbing, Locke's last moments resonate long after the film ends. Incredible films.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">FRIDAY - SATURDAY</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEq2bXncLI/AAAAAAAABE4/av1KdBTp0b0/s1600-h/decree3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEq2bXncLI/AAAAAAAABE4/av1KdBTp0b0/s320/decree3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229007756901970098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJE8IfGDMvI/AAAAAAAABF4/--T_wiTyLr4/s1600-h/fearless_vampire_killers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 269px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJE8IfGDMvI/AAAAAAAABF4/--T_wiTyLr4/s320/fearless_vampire_killers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229026758837351154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"One day men will look back and Say that I Gave birth to the 20th century" Jack The Ripper, 1888. </span>One day people will look back and say - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Murder by Decree is criminally underrated!"</span> This is an AMAZING film. James Mason and Christopher Plummer simply spellbind. The cast is impeccable and Bob Clark is in his true element. A film I WISH TO GOD I had seen in the theater. Now's the chance kiddies!<br /><br />Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers" is not only one of the most visually sumptuous films he ever made (or EVER made) but a very successful send up of the genre too. To see it on the big screen would be a great experience. Few directors have known how to fill a canvas as successfully and effectively as Polanksi. I would love the chance to see my beloved Sharon Tate dominate a screen once again...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SUNDAY - MONDAY</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEthMs_A0I/AAAAAAAABFQ/hlLPZcK9XGg/s1600-h/ed_wood_ver2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 256px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEthMs_A0I/AAAAAAAABFQ/hlLPZcK9XGg/s320/ed_wood_ver2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229010690722693954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEtqyzwhtI/AAAAAAAABFY/D2KmcSlUke8/s1600-h/people_vs_larry_flynt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 253px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEtqyzwhtI/AAAAAAAABFY/D2KmcSlUke8/s320/people_vs_larry_flynt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229010855570474706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Two of my favorite films. Both films penned by screenwriting tag-teamers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. I love how each film shows us fractured, dysfunctional misfits creating their own versions of patriarchy and familial bonds. Wood and Flynt have a lot to say. Some of it may not be to everyone's liking. Therein lies the beauty at the heart of the 1st Amendment; they still have the right to say it and you can exercise your right to ignore it. Satire is crucial to the vitality of a civil society. Couple of great films that should be introduced to the generation that just missed them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEuC6Bf9_I/AAAAAAAABFg/7tuiL-3JTpw/s1600-h/Titicut.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 258px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEuC6Bf9_I/AAAAAAAABFg/7tuiL-3JTpw/s320/Titicut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229011269824018418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEuUH85wuI/AAAAAAAABFo/Y880PyZSsG4/s1600-h/shoah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 260px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJEuUH85wuI/AAAAAAAABFo/Y880PyZSsG4/s320/shoah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229011565620609762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Super Fun Happy Documentary Tuesday & Wednesday. The Human Condition. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Titicut Follies</span> is a symphony in the most discordant tones and most minor key you can possibly imagine. Frederick Wiseman's legendary "observational" fly on the wall documentary is clearly one of the most disturbing accounts ever committed to film. Sadly, the state of mental health care has not progressed positively, or shall I say, in a commensurate fashion since the days of Titicut. Claude Lanzmann's Shoah, is, put simply (because there is nothing simple about this film and Lanzmann has always maintained that it is not a "documentary") the most necessary oral history of the 20th century. Remarkable film. Potent. Unrelenting. A testament to courage and human spirit - when those very qualities are impossible to manufacture.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THURSDAY - FRIDAY</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFCfXLsmrI/AAAAAAAABGA/bN3SsHUzPy0/s1600-h/Fly_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 259px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFCfXLsmrI/AAAAAAAABGA/bN3SsHUzPy0/s320/Fly_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229033748920310450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFDMSr4SVI/AAAAAAAABGQ/EcTkLmbH_zY/s1600-h/jaws-movie-poster-5000649.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 257px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFDMSr4SVI/AAAAAAAABGQ/EcTkLmbH_zY/s320/jaws-movie-poster-5000649.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229034520807229778" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ah, the summer of 1986 was dominated by three films for me. I remember each all too well. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Top Gun</span> (I just got my drivers license and was diggin me some Berlin!), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aliens</span> (saw that 3 times in the theater) and, everybody's favorite abject film of all time... Ding Ding Ding, Cronenberg's operatic <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fly</span>. What can you say about The Fly? Never enough it seems. I've mentioned before that I keep this film alive and well in my history of film course and watching my students (sometimes there's close to 80 students) react to the film on the big screen in the auditorium - well, I kinda well up, I'm so happy seeing them squirm - and NO FILM makes people freak out like The Fly. Simply Beautiful.<br /><br />And last but not least, the Big Dawg. The epitome of the Modern Blockbuster. JAWS. Jaws is in my top 3 films of all time. It's JAWS. Anything more need be said? To get a chance to see it on the big screen, listen to Williams score, watch people jump when Ben Gardner's head pops out - well, it's the stuff of dreams. My Dad came THIS close to taking me and my brother to the drive-in to see it. Didn't happen. Instead he bought me the Jaws game (pull shit out the shark's mouth) and my brother The Jaws Diver in the Bottle (he also got me a Mako's tooth and my brother a Great White tooth) - so we couldn't complain too much. We're talkin' JAWS people. That's all.<br /><br />Well, actually that's not all:<br /><br />Now then, I'm a big fan of contingency plans: A good business person covers their ass. In case the films are damaged, there's a fire, the reels get lost in the post, earthquake, act of God, whatever. I have two additional titles... JUST IN CASE. I was a boy scout ya know.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CONTINGENCY FILMS!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFJnMvZYSI/AAAAAAAABGg/9fgamNQS4vg/s1600-h/lavventura.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 253px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFJnMvZYSI/AAAAAAAABGg/9fgamNQS4vg/s320/lavventura.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229041580137603362" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFJcjyGqJI/AAAAAAAABGY/snJJzm0e0TM/s1600-h/superman_ver1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 253px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SJFJcjyGqJI/AAAAAAAABGY/snJJzm0e0TM/s320/superman_ver1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229041397344413842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">L'Avventura </span>is my favorite foreign film of all time. I didn't quite "get it" when I first saw it (I was around 21) but, boy, its ability to entrance became much more profound as I gained a bit more age, wisdom, and experience. It's impetus may have been post-war disillusionment, but I find the film to be even more relevant now - I'd like to share it with the newer generations of film goers. As for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Superman</span>? Just to see its 70mm majesty once again - to hear Williams' thunderous fanfare, to see those title credits, marvel at a 30 foot Brando, bathe in Unsworth's cinematography... Someone told me that they re-released it when they did Superman Returns - well, it didn't come my way Dammit! I would've been first in line!<br /><br />Okay, now I gotta tag some folks - 5 to be exact. I lay down the challenge to:<br /><br /><a href="http://thegaryconservatoryofmusic.blogspot.com/">Ira Gabelsburger</a> at The Gary Conservatory of Music<br /><br /><a href="http://uraniumcafe-the.com/">Bill Courtney</a> at The Uranium Cafe<br /><br /><a href="http://taliesinttlg.blogspot.com/">Taliesin </a>at Taliesin Meets the Vampires: Perhaps he can do an ALL VAMPIRE program, hmm, hmm?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.erikmarshall.net/blog/">Erik Marshall</a> at A Memorable Fancy (probably be all Woody Allen)<br /><br /><a href="http://alwaysreturning.blogspot.com/">JMR</a> at Always Returning<br /><br />Gilligan, I left you off the tag buddy cuz of the mammoth meme you've just finished! So are you blokes up for the challenge?Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-89944285195237320782008-07-19T20:00:00.001-07:002008-12-10T10:23:43.179-08:00One of my Insane Hobbies - Part IV (The Final Chapter!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO8dKnMMdI/AAAAAAAABCw/g5qPLpIAt-I/s1600-h/JNewmar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO8dKnMMdI/AAAAAAAABCw/g5qPLpIAt-I/s400/JNewmar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225227201930867154" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >JULIE NEWMAR - CATWOMAN<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">One of the hardest kits I ever tackled and the next best thing to having a Natalie Wood resin kit. Julie has had and continues to have a profound impact on me. I've met the Julie (got several autographed photos and an autographed print of a painting that I had too!) and found her to be a wonderful person. Prior to my lifelong love affair with Natalie Wood I was supremely in love with Julie Newmar. Batman reruns at age 5 will do that to a person. A lasting image of her was burned into my visual cortex then and is still with me (obviously) to this day.<br /><br />The kit came in 5 pieces. Head and torso, arms, and legs. CONSIDERABLE clean up was necessary - lots and lots of mold lines that needed to be sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded. Once the kit was primed all the OTHER imperfections came out and so I sanded and sanded and sanded... Once I had her pinned with armature and assembled, I was able to start with metallic blacks for her Catsuit. But then once again, tremendous sanding - not to mention more sanding of the putty lines where I had attached her arms and legs. So, basically this kit was all about endless SANDING. Especially on the backside where her beautiful bottom meets her legs.<br /><br />I was really happy with the way it turned out however. I used matte black for her boots, gold tones for her necklace, catgun, and nails - and a shiny metallic black for the Catsuit as already mentioned. I spend considerable time on facial tones - from dark to light. It was about 6 weeks worth of work.<br /><br />When the kit was basically where I wanted it to be, I bought an unfinished balsa type treasure chest and plaque at Michaels and then painted them both. And Voila! She was done! Until I bumped the kit one day and it fell!!!!!!!!! Julie broke one arm and both her legs! Two weeks later - she emerged from surgery just fine. The results are below. This kit stands over a foot tall!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO-ZUHHsfI/AAAAAAAABC4/rLp8VNseCyg/s1600-h/Jnewmar1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO-ZUHHsfI/AAAAAAAABC4/rLp8VNseCyg/s400/Jnewmar1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225229334784487922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">I think the plaque that I stained and the treasure chest which was also painted provide a good diorama and really sell her pose.<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO-ldAXeeI/AAAAAAAABDA/Qt2GgAtSOgA/s1600-h/JNewmar2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO-ldAXeeI/AAAAAAAABDA/Qt2GgAtSOgA/s400/JNewmar2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225229543330511330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Some detail<br /><br /></span></div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO_gdYvEKI/AAAAAAAABDI/prgoXdl1k7Y/s1600-h/JNewmar3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO_gdYvEKI/AAAAAAAABDI/prgoXdl1k7Y/s400/JNewmar3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225230557045002402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">3/4 Profile View</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO_3whqI1I/AAAAAAAABDY/qXsFkORxIaM/s1600-h/JNewmar5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO_3whqI1I/AAAAAAAABDY/qXsFkORxIaM/s400/JNewmar5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225230957319693138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Backside. My, oh my.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO_rYUHYII/AAAAAAAABDQ/ch-r9zkbSbQ/s1600-h/Jnewmar4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIO_rYUHYII/AAAAAAAABDQ/ch-r9zkbSbQ/s400/Jnewmar4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225230744662007938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Clealry, great care was taken when contouring Julie's posterior - which deified the natural laws of physics</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIPD0mN-VOI/AAAAAAAABDg/tuvGXuA0pvo/s1600-h/catwoman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 392px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIPD0mN-VOI/AAAAAAAABDg/tuvGXuA0pvo/s400/catwoman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225235301059679458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Ahh, Julie...</span><br /></div><br />Kit was purchased: Online through a modelers forum in 2001. A very kind gentlemen sold it to me at a very cheap price when this kit was going for 175.00. Scale is 1:6 (standard for figures like this)<br /><br />Kit was completed: Around 2003. And about a year later when she broke.<br /><br />Acrylic Paints - Various brushes and Airbrush for skin tones on face.<br /><br /><br />This is my last post on this topic for now and my pal Bill in China asked for more information about the hobby. I'll try and give a general sense of what's involved. When you buy a kit (and a good place to buy one online is Monsters In Motion or Ebay) you're entering into a challenging and painstaking hobby. The kits, which come typically in gray resin require ASSEMBLY. But, not typical assembly. The kits are generally broken into: Torso, Head, Arms, Legs - and then odds and ends like coffin, candleabra, arch, anxe, rats, whatever... The pieces need to be washed to release chemical agents used in the molds, then they need to be carefully inspected for imperfections and mold sprues. After that - you are free to prime the individual pieces. To affix an arm to a torso, for example, you need to drill a hole in the torso and in the arm - and glue a thin piece of metal, like a small finishing nail with the head cut off, into the torso. You then have created armature for the piece. Impale the arm onto the nail - glue - and then putty the seams so that kit the seal of arm and torso has no gaps. You will then have to sand away the excess putty and then you need to do the other arm, the head, the legs etc. It's ridiculously time consuming. Here are some pics to aid visually (complements of the Clubhouse and Gremlinz - two sites for the modeling hobbyist).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKon-XVtII/AAAAAAAABCA/zkMEbMd6rp0/s1600-h/189191296.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 387px; height: 259px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKon-XVtII/AAAAAAAABCA/zkMEbMd6rp0/s400/189191296.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224923922412450946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Drill holes in your kit when you need to establish armature between joints<br /><br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKo9zc4rXI/AAAAAAAABCI/qVm5w38Scq0/s1600-h/189183307.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 302px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKo9zc4rXI/AAAAAAAABCI/qVm5w38Scq0/s400/189183307.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224924297440046450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Another diagram for establishing connection between abdomen and torso - you can see how the reinforcement works.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKpQF2TG0I/AAAAAAAABCY/VnNIN2Eg6h8/s1600-h/189191867.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 310px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKpQF2TG0I/AAAAAAAABCY/VnNIN2Eg6h8/s400/189191867.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224924611616119618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">When you have a good fit - you mark the spots with X's and then drill holes to place an armature rod.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKpKFZdRHI/AAAAAAAABCQ/gJyVJ3Rozto/s1600-h/first_3c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 294px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKpKFZdRHI/AAAAAAAABCQ/gJyVJ3Rozto/s400/first_3c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224924508415935602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">You can see an "X" on this piece. Match that X with the X on the other piece and then glue.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKpj4Vt1ZI/AAAAAAAABCg/pqqOCEKIAis/s1600-h/99677896.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKpj4Vt1ZI/AAAAAAAABCg/pqqOCEKIAis/s400/99677896.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224924951587181970" border="0" /></a>Once you have two pieces together and puttied, you can sand the seam until it is very very smooth. At that point you begin the final painting stages.</span><br /></div><br />I hope that these pics can give you a general idea of what the hobby is about and the complexities that often arise. It's a tremendous hobby - one that fills you with pure joy. I love it - I just don't seem to have the money or time for it these days. I think that will change starting now. I have a massive Dark Horse "Bride of Frankenstein" cold-cast porcelain kit that I needs finishing. This sucker is massive and will take forever. I can't wait.<br /></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-35505732209100910822008-07-18T12:09:00.001-07:002008-12-10T10:23:43.918-08:00One of my Insane Hobbies - Part III<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIDquxw1mqI/AAAAAAAABBo/HTkrpmAtnkQ/s1600-h/Wolfman2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIDquxw1mqI/AAAAAAAABBo/HTkrpmAtnkQ/s400/Wolfman2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224433657102834338" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">LON CHANEY JR. - THE WOLFMAN</span><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Here's another bust in my kit library. This time it's the legendary lyncanthrope Larry Talbot. I've always loved the character of Larry Talbot (as well as his European cousin, Paul Naschy's Waldimar Daninsky) because of the tragedy and pathos associated with the character.<br /><br />This kit was purchased at the famous Apple Comics - on Melrose in Hollywood, a great Shoppe. In true fashion, I had just missed somebody important to me, this time it was John Landis who I apparently missed by five minutes. At any rate, this is the <a href="http://www.geometricdesign.net/">Geometric Wolfman Bust</a>. A very fun kit to paint. As stated in the previous blog entry - busts require little clean up and virtually no assembly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKDJvO23yI/AAAAAAAABBw/f036liPxi4s/s1600-h/Wolfman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKDJvO23yI/AAAAAAAABBw/f036liPxi4s/s400/Wolfman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224882721024040738" border="0" /></a><br />As for Larry Talbot. I did slow build ups of various shades of blue. Going from dark to light and then finally drybrushing much lighter shades on the contours of his shirt. The face was done using a wide array of tans, browns, ochres, yellows etc. Building slowly from dark to light - the same principle was used for his mane of hair. Some yellowish/ivory on his set of choppers was layered in and clear gloss gave it a good saliva quotient too. The base was painted to look like a plaque of wood. This is done by "blending" wood tones together - streaking them so as to imitate the grain, knots, and color of wood. The nameplate is in RED with a BLACK background. That's it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKDXRGqVzI/AAAAAAAABB4/0JTw_wCtgio/s1600-h/Wolfman1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKDXRGqVzI/AAAAAAAABB4/0JTw_wCtgio/s400/Wolfman1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224882953454769970" border="0" /></a><br />Kit was purchased: Los Angeles, March 2002<br />Kit was completed: Summer 2004<br />Acrylic paints and various brushes.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKrDMgKzdI/AAAAAAAABCo/UsCngv39QeE/s1600-h/Wolfman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 171px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIKrDMgKzdI/AAAAAAAABCo/UsCngv39QeE/s320/Wolfman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224926589087305170" border="0" /></a>And, again, as if I haven't said it enough - Jeff Rovin's RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN is the most seminal piece of revision fiction I have ever had the incredible pleasure of reading. I felt it would be appropriate to push it in this blog entry as we're talking bout good ole' Larry Talbot. If you love the Universal library of Monsters than this book was written just especially for you and you alone. Track down a copy - very imaginative, clever, and above all, well written. Find it and read it!</div></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-23647822307131558472008-07-17T19:15:00.001-07:002008-12-10T10:23:44.581-08:00One of my Insane Hobbies - Part II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH_88ApTWHI/AAAAAAAABAw/yIg3VabMYcE/s1600-h/Bela.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH_88ApTWHI/AAAAAAAABAw/yIg3VabMYcE/s400/Bela.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224172200668649586" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">BELA LUGOSI - DRACULA</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Interesting timing for this post. I just returned from a section of Intro to Film at the University where I teach. When doing the unit on acting, I find that Tim Burton's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ed Wood (1994)</span> is an exceptionally perfect film to show in support of the concepts on that unit. Not only is it one of my favorite films (A major GONE TO BED entry), but it is also a perfect text for self-reflexivity and the politics of taste. Ed Wood showcases the Hollywood Star System, the waning (basically dead) matinee idol capital of Lugosi's stardom, the dangers of being type-cast, the "use value" of a star, drug addiction, the original celebrity rehab icon, and the sad sad irony of Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi reaching unheard of levels of fan appreciation AFTER they had died. Not to mention that Martin Landau won an Academy Award for his amazing portrayal of Lugosi. This is especially paradoxical as Lugosi never received that type of Academy recognition. The film takes many many factual liberties - but nonetheless succeeds in its ambitions to alert new generations to the works of Lugosi, Wood, and other independent filmmakers whose ingenuity outweighed their talent!<br /><br />Bela Lugosi is my favorite male movie icon/actor of all time. I have many others (and you all know that Natalie Wood is my favorite actress), but Lugosi is number one. So, I had to have a very good Lugosi kit for this hobby. Fortunately, there are several. I decided on this bust.<br /><br />I bought this kit (sculpted by Tony Mcvey and also available as a MASSIVE full size kit too) at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Creature Features</span> which was on Olive in Burbank, CA (greater Los Angeles area). I don't know if it is still there or not - but it was a GREAT store. About three times the size of House of Monsters in Chicago. Loved that place. It was also very close to Dark Delicacies - a GREAT book store. I just missed Richard Matheson who was there for a signing the day before - ouch!<br /><br />This is the kit unprimed and unpainted.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIABKgx21oI/AAAAAAAABA4/8pXt2hMEC-A/s1600-h/Bela+Vinyl.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIABKgx21oI/AAAAAAAABA4/8pXt2hMEC-A/s400/Bela+Vinyl.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224176847859144322" border="0" /></a><br />And here a couple of Profile shots:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIABgXjEz4I/AAAAAAAABBA/sLzD9CEzKhk/s1600-h/Bela1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIABgXjEz4I/AAAAAAAABBA/sLzD9CEzKhk/s400/Bela1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224177223338348418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIABqD0TbeI/AAAAAAAABBI/KtGE5MLNJfg/s1600-h/Bela2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIABqD0TbeI/AAAAAAAABBI/KtGE5MLNJfg/s400/Bela2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224177389840592354" border="0" /></a>The Gargoyle base is coated in many blacks, grays, whites - etc. Heavily drybrushed to add texture to the stone. Bela's flesh tones were airbrushed, working from dark to light and then adding washes under the eyes and rosiness to his ears - as if he had recently dined on a strapping young gal! The tuxedo is in a metallic black to add a satin-like shine. The Cloak is in a matte black as a subsidiary contrast. This shirt is off white and the vest is a sort of ivory - I airbrushed shadows where the best and shirt meet. That's about it. The hair was the only tough part. There was not a lot of texture to it - so it was difficult to do it in anything other than a slicked back black.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Just as my previous post about Peter Cushing representing the only "real" Van Helsing I ever knew, I can also say that Lugosi will always be the only "real" Dracula to me. Many wonderful actors have made this part their own, Chistopher Lee, Frank Langella, Gary Oldman, Jack Palance, and many others - but Lugosi forever defined the part. And his story, is, quite sad.<br /><br />1/3 Scale (about 10 inches tall) and it is a VINYL kit - not resin.<br />Purchased: Los Angeles - in 2002<br />Completed: I'd say fall/winter of 2003<br />Acrylic paints - various brushes and I used an airbrush for all of the flesh tones.<br /><br />In the next post I will discuss more about the hobby and how kits are manufactured and then assembled and painted. It's fairly complex. Sometimes it's great just to do a one piece bust as opposed to a 16-20 piece kit. If I remember correctly, the Mad Monster Party was 17 pieces.<br /><br />Part III coming shortly.<br /></span></div></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-15375104523018769312008-07-17T02:12:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:23:45.843-08:00One of my Insane Hobbies - Part I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7fYNe-CzI/AAAAAAAABAA/K22q0xw_OHk/s1600-h/MadMonster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7fYNe-CzI/AAAAAAAABAA/K22q0xw_OHk/s400/MadMonster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223858224825764658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >MAD MONSTER PARTY - OUR TIME TO SHINE</span><br /></div><br />I thought I would share with you one of my most passionate on and off hobbies. On and off for various reasons. To begin with, Resin Kit Building demands money and time. LOTS of money (avg. kit is 100.00) and LOTS of time (avg. completion time: about a month). As we know, money and time are the two most prized resources in the world. And, when a kit requires the subtleties that only an air brush can provide, the project time can double to two months. This is why this hobby has been on and off for the last, about 7 years or so. I haven't been able to work on my kits for quite some time, teaching duties and other doctoral matters have kept me away for about four years. Now that I am finding ways to procrastinate advancing my dissertation, I may just take it up again and finish a few projects that were begun in 2004. I'm gonna kick things off with uploading some pics from previous kits. I'll start things off with my "Mad Monster Party" resin kit. This kit was called "Our Time To Shine" based off of the song that Gale Garnett sings to Count Dracula. The kit had a very limited pressing of 100 castings - and is indeed a rare kit.<br /><br /><br />HERE IS THE SCENE FROM THE FILM: (note: I was working from a very ratty old print of the film on VHS - several years before the DVD release. As such, the colors were very faded. For eg. in my print - her dress was quite yellow - in the DVD it reads more gold.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QReY2s_DMYs&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QReY2s_DMYs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />I'll discuss what the hobby entails in the next few installments - I've got a few kits I'd like to showcase on Trash Aesthetics. This was a pretty clean casting with some dremel work needed for sprues - but on the whole a pretty easy kit to prime, assemble, and paint. I did not need the air brush for this particular kit. The original Rankin Bass puppets for the movie had a "man-made" assembly aesthetic to them (which is what they were) so I preserved that by keeping the color palette simple and faithful to the colors of the figures as they appeared in the film. I bought this kit at the House Of Monsters, which was in Chicago, in Wicker Park - right where Damen, Milwaukee and North conflate. It was a great shop in the Flat Iron Building which sadly is no longer there. They are still in business on Ebay if memory serves.<br /><br />Kit was bought: Chicago - around summer 2001<br />Kit was completed: around fall 2002.<br />Acrylic Paints and various brushes<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7hLez3A1I/AAAAAAAABAI/24YFiTrEgoQ/s1600-h/MadMonster1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7hLez3A1I/AAAAAAAABAI/24YFiTrEgoQ/s400/MadMonster1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223860205161743186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7hWs2Ib-I/AAAAAAAABAQ/Q0ywL9JJQTw/s1600-h/MadMonster2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7hWs2Ib-I/AAAAAAAABAQ/Q0ywL9JJQTw/s400/MadMonster2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223860397907931106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7h0QrXC-I/AAAAAAAABAY/LlLt_wjT0Us/s1600-h/MadMonster3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7h0QrXC-I/AAAAAAAABAY/LlLt_wjT0Us/s400/MadMonster3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223860905742633954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7iAuLYlsI/AAAAAAAABAg/FqbmYoPFuSw/s1600-h/MadMonster5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SH7iAuLYlsI/AAAAAAAABAg/FqbmYoPFuSw/s400/MadMonster5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223861119820011202" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIAIPGxvz2I/AAAAAAAABBQ/_LGR9j9TpMM/s1600-h/MadMonster6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SIAIPGxvz2I/AAAAAAAABBQ/_LGR9j9TpMM/s400/MadMonster6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224184623360102242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Boob Shot For Tali</span><br /></div>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-66886317207204042552008-07-14T15:30:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:23:49.665-08:00Who's The Greatest Van Helsing of All Time?So, who in your opinion was the "greatest" Van Helsing? I know who I feel (and I cannot be dissuaded) personified the character best on screen, but what do you think? Let's examine this diverse cinematic bullpen of actors who played the legendary Abraham Van Helsing (including "surrogate" Van Helsing's as well and in no particular order)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edward Van Sloan</span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula 1931</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHl97qNSMVI/AAAAAAAAA9w/rDa0-VYWvM4/s1600-h/Van+Sloan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 386px; height: 288px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHl97qNSMVI/AAAAAAAAA9w/rDa0-VYWvM4/s400/Van+Sloan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222343706808562002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHq_LonfDhI/AAAAAAAAA_A/0yrHyu852EQ/s1600-h/EdwardVanSloan1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 140px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHq_LonfDhI/AAAAAAAAA_A/0yrHyu852EQ/s200/EdwardVanSloan1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222696924492008978" border="0" /></a>Aww, papa Van Helsing. I love Edward Van Sloan's portrayal of Van Helsing in Hollywood's (if not the world's?) first sound horror film. He is the closest personification of Stoker's genteel, wise, patriarchal Dutch doctor. Naturally then, what is downplayed is the additional idea that Van Helsing could be a physical foil for the Count as well. In 1927, he took a stab at the role (with Lugosi) on Broadway and later played the role twice on film - in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula</span> and again in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula's Daughter (1935)</span>. He was the second Van Helsing I ever saw - Cushing came first when I was 5 years old and Van Sloan came shortly after when I was in first grade. He especially shines in the sequel, Dracula's Daughter. A Universal character actor, Edward Van Sloan is forever credited (along with Bela Lugosi, Tod Browning, Karl Freund, Jack Pierce, and Charles D. hall) with providing the template for what horror films would look and sound like for decades to come.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Jack MacGowran - The Fearless Vampire Killers or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth are in My Neck (1966)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHq-g_iN1YI/AAAAAAAAA-w/eFUJJAF3vXo/s1600-h/fearless_vampire_killers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHq-g_iN1YI/AAAAAAAAA-w/eFUJJAF3vXo/s400/fearless_vampire_killers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222696191909549442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHq-tqZuQpI/AAAAAAAAA-4/0FAcM3g791s/s1600-h/Abronsius.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHq-tqZuQpI/AAAAAAAAA-4/0FAcM3g791s/s320/Abronsius.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222696409575080594" border="0" /></a>Jack MacGowran's Professor Abronsius is nothing short of brilliant. As ineffectual as he is hilarious. We know right from the get go that he will be essentially useless when we see him arrive to the destination as a frozen Popsicle. Polanski took the archetype of Van Helsing and injected a healthy dose of Mr. Magoo. The result is pure slapstick heaven. Though not as slapstick <span style="font-style: italic;">on the nose</span> as Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello, Polanski and MacGowran DO make an absolutely hilarious Gilligan and Skipper. Like a few other selections on this list, Abronsius is NOT Abraham Van Helsing, instead he is Polanski's Jungian equivalent. His fate is left open at the end of the film, but one can deduce that he will either accidentaly bumble himself into survival - or - well, once that sleigh reaches its destination...?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Benjamin - Love At First Bite (1979)</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrRui28bfI/AAAAAAAAA_o/tj3kA2PpyPM/s1600-h/love+at+first+bite_to+hospital.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 128px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrRui28bfI/AAAAAAAAA_o/tj3kA2PpyPM/s200/love+at+first+bite_to+hospital.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222717315450957298" border="0" /></a>Richard Benjamin is hilarious in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Love At First Bite</span>. Of course, he is a descendant of Van Helsing's (like Cushing's Lorimer Van Helsing in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires</span>, or his portrayal in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula AD 1972</span>). Here, Van Helsing's offspring has changed his name for "professional purposes: to Dr. Rosenberg. I love this film, I loved it when I saw it in the theater, I loved it 10 years ago, I loved it last night. I think it works beautifully and is still part of much of the vernacular among my friends. We quote it regularly. I remember Tim Lucas discussing his favorite Renfields of the past century in a Video Watchdog and I felt he really shortchanged Arte Johnson's masterful interpretation. True, he is lampooning Dwight Frye's legendary persona in the role, but he does it beautifully. There is not a bum note in his performance. Actually, there never was - Arte is a supremely talented actor.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Laurence Olivier - Dracula (1979)</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHqua05nznI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/8sL4Lm6O15U/s1600-h/dracula-79.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHqua05nznI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/8sL4Lm6O15U/s320/dracula-79.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222678493789671026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHquKHY6lkI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Go0JEbQHjqs/s1600-h/laurence_olivier_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 147px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHquKHY6lkI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Go0JEbQHjqs/s320/laurence_olivier_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222678206694987330" border="0" /></a>Olivier's Van Helsing is superlative. What would one expect from an actor of Olivier's stature, respectability and talent? In keeping with the British method of acting, Olivier's externals are spot on. His accent, poise, demeanor, wardrobe etc., are all exceptional (especially the accent, Olivier even speaks some Dutch in the film). I have no criticisms of Olivier's interpretation, other than his inability to act when the time comes results in his tragic demise. Olivier and the rest of the cast and personnel are fantastic - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula 79</span>' is a great film that greatly benefits from location shooting, outstanding visuals, a remarkable cast, and a sublime score.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Plummer - Dracula 2000 (2000)</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrOgPpoQ1I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/9yoiK3enm_w/s1600-h/drac2000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrOgPpoQ1I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/9yoiK3enm_w/s400/drac2000.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222713771241784146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrOqAd6n8I/AAAAAAAAA_g/MbvfC6CxN58/s1600-h/Plummer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrOqAd6n8I/AAAAAAAAA_g/MbvfC6CxN58/s200/Plummer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222713938964815810" border="0" /></a>I found Dracula 2000 to be a vastly under appreciated film. Christopher Plummer adds a great deal to the film with his Abraham Van Helsing. The film benefited from Wes Craven's hand stitching as exec. producer and a very original take on the Dracula origin. Plummer enhanced the script's originality by emphasizing the character's physiological flaw. He also produced a strong accent and physical mannerisms appropriate for the character. I think he was an extraordinary Van Helsing in an extraordinarily original re-fashioning of the Dracula mythology. I am so grateful that Plummer is still very active, his recent turns in The New World, Must Love Dogs, Alexander, A Beautiful Mind, and what should have been an Oscar in The Insider have lent each of these films a stature they would sorely lack were it not for his presence. His Sherlock Holmes in Murder By Decree is still one of my all time favorite performances. His summation and chastising of Anthony Quayle and John Gielgud is a virtual <span style="font-style: italic;">tour de force</span>!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anthony Hopkins - Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrJEhN2VQI/AAAAAAAAA_I/yGDf8Truxls/s1600-h/Dracula+%28title%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrJEhN2VQI/AAAAAAAAA_I/yGDf8Truxls/s400/Dracula+%28title%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222707797362627842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrJP581N1I/AAAAAAAAA_Q/Adkz9z43o3I/s1600-h/18857502_w434_h_q80.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 211px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrJP581N1I/AAAAAAAAA_Q/Adkz9z43o3I/s200/18857502_w434_h_q80.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222707992980698962" border="0" /></a>Anthony Hopkins is truly a great actor. I have seen this man play ANYTHING and play "it" as if he had been that character his whole life. This is what makes it so hard and sad to say that his interpretation of Van Helsing is absolute rubbish and so are parts of the film. I don't know just what the fuck he and Coppola were thinking engaging in a constant paradox. To have the balls to say "BRAM STOKER'S" Dracula and then casually make major and minor alterations is absurd and offensive. True, Hart's script, in spite of its many variations, is just about the most faithful adaptation of Stoker's novel (but, given its previous cinematic versions, that's not saying much). And, indeed, there are MANY things that I love about this film - one of them however, IS NOT Sir Anthony's crazy ramblings and dirty old man lusting. I don't want or expect to ever see a true to the letter adaptation of Dracula or any other novel. These are two different mediums that are incompatible in fidelity of representation. The trick, or course, is to capture the essence of the novel and get it on the screen in a manner that suits cinema's visual nature. Hart and Coppola <span style="font-style: italic;">essentially</span> do this. Some of their choices I do not agree with or support. One of them is Hopkins' insanely over the top interpretation - almost the antithesis to Stoker's characterization. What...the...fuck?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hugh Jackman - </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Van Helsing (2004)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHhV1sjG_pI/AAAAAAAAA9o/5NwEwB4Pjp8/s1600-h/VanhelsJackman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHhV1sjG_pI/AAAAAAAAA9o/5NwEwB4Pjp8/s320/VanhelsJackman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222018148915936914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrUgH5BMFI/AAAAAAAAA_4/Pe1q6yal_14/s1600-h/Van2004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrUgH5BMFI/AAAAAAAAA_4/Pe1q6yal_14/s200/Van2004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222720366228615250" border="0" /></a>Uhm, No. This is 21st century Hollywood's idea of Van Helsing and about as far from the literary origins as one can possibly stray. Nothing against Hugh Jackman, a very talented and diverse actor capable of strong work, but this movie was shit. Oh, sure, I enjoyed the empty eye candy of it all - it was interesting to look at (c'mon, Kate Beckinsale for Chrissakes), but I feel it was the BIGGEST waste of potential I have seen in a very very long time. THE TEMPLATE AND STORY FOR WHAT THIS MOVIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WAS APTLY LAID OUT BY JEFF ROVIN IN HIS NOVEL "RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN." Somers, I am sure, had his own ideas on how to pull off the "horror extravaganzas" that Universal effectively delivered in the late 1940s, but let's just say that I didn't agree with, or care for, his choices. And why of why do we get the arbitrary name change? Gabriel? Is he an angel with a horn? Why? WHY? Logic please? Why change his name? To what purpose? How will it increase profits? Is Gabriel somehow a more "hip" name than Abraham? Or is it that he is so completely fucking different from his literary source that you decided to change his FIRST name? Moving on...<br /><br />Before I get to my personal choice - a note about the inclusions. There are certain Van Helsing's that aren't accounted for. Nosferatu (1922), Herzog's remake of it, Jess Franco's Count Dracula, Mel Brooks', etc. I just didn't have the time to get to EVERY Van Helsing or stand-in Van Helsing. I just chose to highlight a few for the purposes of this post. On that note: Drum Roll if you Please...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHqu9U-a2BI/AAAAAAAAA-g/VlO0LHguxBs/s1600-h/drumroll.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHqu9U-a2BI/AAAAAAAAA-g/VlO0LHguxBs/s200/drumroll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222679086515279890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Cushing - Horror of Dracula (1958), The Brides of Dracula (1960), Dracula AD 1972 (1972), The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) and surrogate Van Helsing in The Vampire Lovers (1970) </span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrUKPPzPfI/AAAAAAAAA_w/UZ21wETpA9k/s1600-h/peter-cushing-van-helsing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHrUKPPzPfI/AAAAAAAAA_w/UZ21wETpA9k/s320/peter-cushing-van-helsing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222719990246096370" border="0" /></a>As for me? My vote for best cinematic rendering of this fine literary character goes to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Cushing</span> - hands down. Cushing's interpretation retained all of the elderly wisdom and gentleness found in Stoker's characterization while also injecting into the profile an Errol Flynn dexterity and "man of action" mentality. This potent combination of scholarly curiosity, a gentle and kind ethos, and armorial bearings that read "don't fuck with me" made Cushing <span style="font-style: italic;">The</span> greatest Van Helsing to date. Doomed (much like the hard-boiled detective) to romantic isolation, this man must fight evil forces - rid the world of "unholy cults" to restore social order, to bring balance to the scales of good and evil. Only in Cushing's interpretation do we see a brilliant, delicately balanced negotiation between these polars. And speaking of "good and evil" As Nietzsche once said in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Beyond Good and Evil</span> "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster..." We cannot attribute this stoic philosophical advice to most other portrayals of Abraham Van Helsing, ESPECIALLY Anthony Hopkins' awkward and unfriendly Doctor. Hopkins lusts after Mina, has no tact whatsoever (Stoker made Van Helsing the most elegantly quotable character in the novel) and often seems to become as monstrous as the creatures he hunts. When he says "We have become God's Madmen!" in point of fact - Hopkins plays Van Helsing as a fucking lunatic right from the start. While I think that both Laurence Olivier and Christopher Plummer made FANTASTIC Van Helsing's, as written, their characters lack the ability TO ACT selflessly while preserving their own mortality. Cushing was able to derail current or impending harm to others while simultaneously defeating his evil menace/nemesis AND preserving his mortality. Olivier and Plummer FAIL to achieve this; their moments of weakness or hesitation doom their fate.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHhN5xldznI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/_H0P0X1Glak/s1600-h/VanHelsingBurns.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHhN5xldznI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/_H0P0X1Glak/s400/VanHelsingBurns.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222009422894452338" border="0" /></a> A Doctor of Philosophy, a Doctor of Theology, a Professor of Metaphysics - Hammer's rendering of Van Helsing makes him the most formidable being in the world to defeat vampires, or in fact, their King. He is armed with the most potent of all weapons: knowledge. Knowledge and the ability to synthesize it while doing what MUST BE DONE AT ALL COSTS. Witness what happens when he falls victim to the tainting of his own blood at the hands of Baron Meinster (a disciple of Count Dracula - <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brides of Dracula, 1960</span>). Cushing buries an iron in a bed of hot coals until it is glowing red hot. He cauterizes the evil from the wound with the cleansing power of fire and then douses his neck in blessed (Holy) water. It is PRECISELY these types of moments, structured around fortitude and remarkable courage, that make Cushing's Van Helsing UNDEFEATED. His will and constitution are in tact, not for sale, non-negotiable. He then battles the Baron in a typically charged and athletic duel - and bests him. Yup, every fucking time. Cushing is unbeatable. What a remarkable role model to have while growing up, uncommonly kind and supremely "bad ass" when need be.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"For the safety of one we love - for the good of mankind, and for the honour and glory of God"</span> Abraham Van Helsing (Stoker 326).<br /><br />He is The King of all Van Helsings - there is none higher, sucker Van Helsing's shall call him sire.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHmDbMzBCNI/AAAAAAAAA94/81AQc0d4r7c/s1600-h/VanHelsingStakes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 197px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SHmDbMzBCNI/AAAAAAAAA94/81AQc0d4r7c/s320/VanHelsingStakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222349746227710162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />There's a lot of honorable mentions here beyond the ones already stated above in the disclaimer. Andrew Keir - Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), The David Soul/Lew Ayers combo of Salems Lot (1979), Roger Perry - Count Yorga (1970), Jason Miller and E.G. Marshall in Vampire (1979). And on and on and on and on... I haven't forgotten anyone, I just can't get to them all! Besides CUSHING IS Van Helsing.Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-69613978663257630092008-06-08T15:53:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:23:51.887-08:00House of Mystery presents "I... Vampire"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEzGfPhcf_I/AAAAAAAAA6Q/-tP4Qmj4JBE/s1600-h/House+Mystery1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEzGfPhcf_I/AAAAAAAAA6Q/-tP4Qmj4JBE/s400/House+Mystery1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209757109005877234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEzIqeBVbuI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/lzr0LCQsej8/s1600-h/House+of+Mystery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEzIqeBVbuI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/lzr0LCQsej8/s320/House+of+Mystery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209759500899544802" border="0" /></a>This post is for a good mate of mine in the U.K. who has the single best "All Things Vampire Blog" on the net, at least in my humble opinion. The website I refer to is <a href="http://taliesinttlg.blogspot.com/">Taliesin Meets The Vampires</a>. Do yourself a very great favor and check it out (even if he is completely wrong about the Salem's Lot remake, {couldn't resist!}). So, Taliesin, (formally addressing him now) the sheer weight and volume with which you post is superhuman. I don't know if you're familiar with the topic of this post or not - you cover a lot of literature and I am sure you've got a stout back log of things to review. But, if you're not pal, then I think you really need to get a hold of this particular run of <span style="font-weight: bold;">The House of Mystery</span>. It is a classic 25 issue run - that is sadly neglected or forgotten today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SE3wOvdMmkI/AAAAAAAAA6o/i4X1x4Ekm9s/s1600-h/House2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SE3wOvdMmkI/AAAAAAAAA6o/i4X1x4Ekm9s/s320/House2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210084479985293890" border="0" /></a>I came to the "<span style="font-style: italic;">I Vampire</span>" run of <span style="font-weight: bold;">The House of Mystery</span> late. I started buying issues from the local newsstand towards the very end of the run (this was in 1983) - with about four or five issues left until the series ended. It took about 10 years to complete that run, but I finally did - somewhere in the late 90s. What we are presented with is an incredibly rich, historically irregular, mosaic that I devoured back then and still dig out about once a year to re-read. The protagonist (and character of the title) is Lord Andrew Bennett, former commander in Queen Elizabeth's military (and hero in the war with Spain) turned court composer and balladeer. Well, rather than fumble with my own summary, here's the text from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%E2%80%A6Vampire">Wiki entry </a>on <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">I... Vampire.</span> "In 1591, after being turned into a vampire himself, Lord Andrew Bennett turned his lover, Mary Seward, into a vampire, and she became corrupted by the power. She took the name Mary, Queen of Blood and created a group of vampires called The Blood Red Moon bent on taking over the world. The series followed Bennett into the modern day as he tried to undo his mistake and take down Mary and The Blood Red Moon."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEzQ6CiflZI/AAAAAAAAA6g/JZ8lyX_64pk/s1600-h/House4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEzQ6CiflZI/AAAAAAAAA6g/JZ8lyX_64pk/s320/House4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209768564493358482" border="0" /></a>The plotting, character arcs, social commentary, and certainly the art - are all superior. You have the <span style="font-style: italic;">prime</span> makings here for either A) an incredible television series that could easily run 4-6 solid seasons, or B) a movie franchise, trilogy, whatever, that would be (if done properly) outstanding - for some reason I always saw Gabriel Byrne as Andrew Bennett. And on this note I present a long and angry aside - sorry bout the rant, but - the majority of dumb fuck execs in charge of property development/acquisition at the major studios are both A) content (lazy, complacent) remaking EVERY damn film they have the rights to, or B) spend too much money on crap spec scripts - give me a call, I'm a writer and professor of film, I've got hundreds of ideas about what properties you should be developing, many of which you ALREADY own. These claims are based off of simple industrial analyses that your massive accounting departments apparently never bothered to commission. And, yes, we, the masses, your consumers, are tired of remakes. Just take a look at your receipts why don't ya (<span style="font-style: italic;">April Fool's Day</span> - 12 million - pee u.). We can stomach them occasionally, but a new one every month is RIDICULOUS. Okay, back to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">I... Vampire</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SE3wdF57TJI/AAAAAAAAA6w/nMxT9Vbu9Ng/s1600-h/house3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SE3wdF57TJI/AAAAAAAAA6w/nMxT9Vbu9Ng/s320/house3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210084726529543314" border="0" /></a>I remember riding my bike to Metro News and buying this issue (to your left). The Last Issue. I pulled off into the woods, sat by my comic reading tree, drank some pop and ate some junk food and read it. I was very very sad that day. It was the end of the road for Andrew Bennett, I had lost a good friend - even though I had only read several of the issues, I identified with his his loneliness and his sense of right and wrong. Mostly, however, I think I was just fascinated having read fiction where a vampire was the <span style="font-weight: bold;">hero</span>. So there you have it Tali - my simple account of what I consider (along with Wolfman and Colan's brilliant <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tomb of Dracula</span>) to be absolutely top notch, fantastic, literature. I've sent you an email with some additional information that might be useful for you about the series run. If you do have this series, let's see a review! If you don't, then I hope I've fed your curiosity a bit. Cheers mate!Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-74224478577190191972008-06-04T21:21:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:23:55.585-08:00Top Ten Horror Movie Scores<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEeEeDaOYPI/AAAAAAAAA44/G2KmYAOFBPM/s1600-h/Halloween.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEeEeDaOYPI/AAAAAAAAA44/G2KmYAOFBPM/s400/Halloween.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208277145923510514" border="0" /></a><br />This Top 10 stuff can be fun. I'll think I'll go one more while I've got the energy and forward momentum. Here then is a personal list of favorite<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span><span>horror movie scores</span>. The requirement for consideration was simple. The score had to be an original work composed by an artist(s) for the movie that was released. Compilation soundtracks are strictly verboten! I have emphasized films that contain complete symphonic scores (or at least suites) in addition to some prog-rock, minimalist synth works. The list is generated based on the following criteria:<br /><br />A. The score's relative importance to progressing the genre and its "fit" with the motion picture. Does the score "work" with the film (by working with it, against it, completely 180 degrees from it, whatever) and does the score add anything remotely "new" to the genre with its use of non-diagetic sound? This criterion is much more objective than the following component:<br /><br />B. My personal identification with the score. This factor not only emphasizes my own love for these scores, but also surveys a representative sampling of what may be deemed very profound, important, or recognized works.<br /><br />Right then, off we go:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span>10. Dawn of the Dead (1978)</span> - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Goblin</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYlGeM-9dI/AAAAAAAAA2w/ZeTom-AVu9M/s1600-h/DAWNCD.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 329px; height: 278px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYlGeM-9dI/AAAAAAAAA2w/ZeTom-AVu9M/s320/DAWNCD.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207890812217521618" border="0" /></a><br />Executive Producer Dario Argento brought in his tried and true Italian collaborators Goblin to provide the score for Romero's third (out of FIVE! now) segment of his ongoing "Dead" series. The result is fantastic. Goblin's score is desolate and creepy; providing a very uneasy sense of dread and claustrophobia that permeates the film. The cues have become so iconic that a few measures can easily cause Pavlovian salivation - as was the effect on me when I fist saw <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shaun of the Dead</span>. Edgar Wright knowingly and nudgingly used this cue during his credit preamble. My friends and I just flagged each other with knowing glances, like lighthouses. We loved it. The score resides in the number 10 spot because the music works beautifully within the structure of the film and not so much as a stand-alone score. The cues don't lend themselves to repeated listening, unless perhaps you are barricaded in a fucking shopping mall and have hordes of zombies outside - then, by all means, blare it from the loudspeakers all damn day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >9. Horror of Dracula (1958) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">James Bernard<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYr5JKwVdI/AAAAAAAAA24/sNvTvkqN0VU/s1600-h/dracula.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 316px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYr5JKwVdI/AAAAAAAAA24/sNvTvkqN0VU/s320/dracula.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207898279814125010" border="0" /></a><br />James Bernard's music is knotted into the fiber of Hammer's identity. Unravel it a bit and the whole skein will fray. Hammer reinterpreted the literary characters Universal mined for a much more weary post World War II generation. In doing so, they also reinterpreted the sound. Bernard's motifs, lyrical passages, romantic interludes, and brassy staccato bursts, loudly proclaimed HIS specific signature (which often echoed the syllables of the film's title, for eg: DRAC-U-LA). His romanticism (built largely from his formal, classical training and education) and lyricism were just the right combination for the aesthetic Hammer was developing visually. The fusion really worked. My childhood is riddled with Bernard's energetic melodies. His place in horror film history will, like Count Dracula, live on forever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >8. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Halloween (1978) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">John Carpenter<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYtHbImXgI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Wpau4cLSDWA/s1600-h/HalloweenSoundtrack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 312px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYtHbImXgI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Wpau4cLSDWA/s320/HalloweenSoundtrack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207899624666717698" border="0" /></a><br />Carpenter certainly was the initial all-encompassing creative force behind this franchise. Carpenter stated that the first screening to the execs in charge of production and marketing was a disaster. He then decided he could "save" the film with the score. I don't think the film needed any "saving" whatsoever, it's all there on the screen. However, the score does add tremendous depth. Carpenter's resulting minimalist score is an exercise in the "simplest strategy is the most effective strategy" school of composition. The score is, in reality, a page from Herrmann's technique of short, staccato cells, that repeat ad infinitum and imprint themselves neatly into our consciousness (<span style="font-weight: bold;">North by Northwest</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sisters</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cape Fear</span> immediately come to mind in this regard). These musical statements are never forgotten and also perform the dual function of acting as a leitmotif for heralding a character's presence. Carpenter went on to score many of his films after <span style="font-weight: bold;">Halloween</span> - but it's for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Halloween </span>that his musical talents are most remembered.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Deep Red (1975) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Goblin<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYvuGEcAKI/AAAAAAAAA3I/puoZ67qlo6E/s1600-h/profondo_main.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 289px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYvuGEcAKI/AAAAAAAAA3I/puoZ67qlo6E/s320/profondo_main.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207902488050270370" border="0" /></a><br />This is not only Argento's first real masterpiece, but Goblin's too. The synergy between composers and director was certainly honed to a perfection in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Suspiria (1977)</span>, but I'll hang with <span style="font-weight: bold;">Deep Red</span>'s chilling and disturbing melodies as the benchmark between these two creative talents. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Deep Red</span> is a prog rock nightmare/dream come true. Unlike <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dawn of the Dead,</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Deep Red</span> virtually commands repeated listening. Moody and atmospheric fugue-like cues propelled with hip, funky percussions provide the center for this score. Even the childish nursery rhyme that intercuts with the main theme is horribly unsettling (as it's meant to be). This is a monumental score for a monumental film - Bach would've been proud!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">6.</span></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Fly (1986) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Howard Shore<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEY18c_g_EI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/J4rrSbijL0c/s1600-h/fly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEY18c_g_EI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/J4rrSbijL0c/s320/fly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207909331791576130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*SPOILERS* contained herein:</span><br />Howard Shore and David Cronenberg have had a long and impressive collaborative relationship, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, Crash</span>, etc. For me, however, their greatest work together was 1986's <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fly</span>. Whoooa nelly! There's too much to say about the film, so let's just get to Shore's operatic opus. A score without enough stones would simply be crushed under the weight of Cronenberg's abject re-visioning of this 1958 classic. So, Shore delivers a score that not only stands up to the film but significantly adds layers of meaning and depths of emotion to this, essentially, Greek tragedy. The last scene of the film and the music the accompanies it are just about TOO MUCH. Just as Geena Davis is saying/thinking the same thing <span style="font-style: italic;">No, no, I can't, this is too much</span> - Shore is relentlessly giving us TOO MUCH too. Too much operatic/Wagnerian dark stuff of nightmares. The scene unhinges me - thanks in great measure to Shore's re-working of his earlier cue "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Plasma Pool.</span>" There is NO DENOUEMENT to this film, she blows Brundle-Fly's head off and the fucking credits roll. Unbelievable. I gotta mention this. I showed this film for a year straight to my History of Film classes (as a perfect document of the 80s) and MY GOD, they were just utterly speechless. Not only the ultimate abject gross out movie, but also one of the all-time bummer endings - you're knocked completely senseless and in tears to boot! Cronenberg and Shore are one of the all-time great teams.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Carrie (1976) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Pino Donaggio</span></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYk6K1aTqI/AAAAAAAAA2o/nTucAUmQjoM/s1600-h/Carrie.php"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 304px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEYk6K1aTqI/AAAAAAAAA2o/nTucAUmQjoM/s320/Carrie.php" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207890600859946658" border="0" /></a><br />The film marked a beginning for several distinguished talents. First and foremost, Stephen King and Brian De Palma; King's first novel shot him into a fabled sort of stardom and De Palma - yearning for the respect that his peers had earned - finally got a major critical and box-office hit. Donaggio's score is one of the most eerie and powerful scores ever composed for a horror film. From the melancholy, at times almost bucolic, bittersweetness of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Theme from Carrie</span> to the ominous ambient moog and synth textures of <span style="font-style: italic;">School in Flames</span>, the score never fails to entrance, illicit great pathos, and scare the shit out of you. Another highlight is <span style="font-style: italic;">I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love someone Like Me</span> - performed by Amy Irving's sister Katie. Her breathy and sweet rendering of the vocals ALONG with Spacek's unbelievable physical acting (just look at her when she fumbles the kiss during this song - AMAZING!) make for a dizzying and vortexish (not a word I am sure, vortex <span style="font-style: italic;">like</span> then) dance at the prom. All the more fitting since Carrie White brings the whole shit house down shortly afterwards. One also has to admire the intertextual nods that both Donnagio pays to Herrmann and De Palma pays to Hitchcock. Fantastic.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Franz Waxman</span></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEo4VrD-iaI/AAAAAAAAA5g/xPbpG91Y43I/s1600-h/FranzWaxman-TheBrideOfFrankensteinR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEo4VrD-iaI/AAAAAAAAA5g/xPbpG91Y43I/s400/FranzWaxman-TheBrideOfFrankensteinR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209037863995214242" border="0" /></a><br />Franz Waxman delivered one of the first, complete, fully-developed scores for a motion picture ever. In an era when original film music was sparse and also light, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bride of Frankenstein</span> is a ten course meal of musical food. This score was a major leap forward in film music composition, it's influence is still felt today. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H81jN5ZiKq0">A tear always wells up when Dr. Pretorius proclaims, "The Bride of Frankenstein" and Waxman's wedding bells swell layered in front of the main theme</a>. It's one of the greatest moments in cinema history. The score is a tour-de-force of creativity and originality - providing themes for the Monster, Pretorius, the Bride - etc. In the Old Blind Hermit scene, where we have Christ analogies being drawn, Waxman beautifully captures the isolation, loneliness, and the beauty in their budding friendship. <span style="font-style: italic;">"Friend? Good?"</span> The most iconic horror movie - certainly in Universal's library - arguably in cinema history - thanks in large part to Franz Waxman.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Psycho (1960) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Bernard Herrmann<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdgRNlVLVI/AAAAAAAAA34/jdLKOcdBWLw/s1600-h/psycho.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 308px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdgRNlVLVI/AAAAAAAAA34/jdLKOcdBWLw/s320/psycho.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208237342897548626" border="0" /></a><br />Bernard Herrmann. The mere mention of this maverick's name brings a shiver to the spine. Along with Numbers 2 and 1 below, Herrmann's music advanced the genre. Feeding off of his own and Hitchcock's love of gothic thrillers - these two Titans of terror developed (what would become known as Hitchcock's "pure cinema" technique) a cinematic short-hand that proved extremely formidable. It has been told that Hitchcock's brutal firing of Herrmann over 1966's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Torn Curtain</span> was, in large part, due to the fact that Herrmann's contributions to Hithcock's work was becoming too enormous and too iconic. Very sad. If you can track down a copy of "<span style="font-style: italic;">Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann</span>" - you will be very rewarded for your efforts. I remember when it came out (and was nominated for an Academy Award as well), I had recorded it off of PBS and then a few years ago (12-13 years later!) dumped it onto DVD for teaching purposes (great for Intro to Film). It is an incredible documentary - profiling and delving deep into the psyche of the man whose first score was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Citizen Kane</span> and last was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Taxi Driver</span>. A true genius.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >2. Jaws (1975) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">John Williams<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdg6yV1stI/AAAAAAAAA4A/nSVRP-cmAcI/s1600-h/Jaws_30th_Decca_4670452.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 281px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdg6yV1stI/AAAAAAAAA4A/nSVRP-cmAcI/s320/Jaws_30th_Decca_4670452.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208238057139319506" border="0" /></a><br />I don't think that I can add anything significant (in terms of analysis) to the most identifiable two note intro to any film ever made. Seriously, "I can name that film in two notes" is very appropriate here. One of the things I truly love about Williams' score are the<span style="font-style: italic;"> nautical</span> flourishes it brandies about . Williams really is channeling (as he often did) the spirit of Korngold - morphing <span style="font-style: italic;">Jaws</span>, at times, into a brilliant swashbuckling pirate movie, complete with (Y'aarrr) sea chanties - "<span style="font-style: italic;">Farewell and adieu to you fare Spanish ladies...</span>" It is one of the most enjoyable and exciting soundtracks ever released. The tracks have been fully released and restored with the Anniversary Edition pictured above. It is a must have for any music or film or music from film lover. BUY IT! And, talk about a collective conscious - I'm watching game 6 of the Stanley cup finals as I write this and they ARE PLAYING THE JAWS theme right now; the most predatory musical cue ever written. Brilliant. I never, ever, grow tired of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaws </span>(in fact, I'm mentioned on the Wikipedia entry for the film) or it's score. I've yet to do my <a href="http://trash-aesthetics.blogspot.com/search/label/gone%20to%20bed">Gone to Bed</a> on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaws</span>, but it is in my top 3 all-time favorite movies. I've always said it was the most "important" film of the modern era, and without John Williams on the bridge, at the helm of the orchestra - I would not make that claim.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. The Omen (1976) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Jerry Goldsmith<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEZBAU2jqCI/AAAAAAAAA3g/6gnrV8KUZlM/s1600-h/Omen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 310px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEZBAU2jqCI/AAAAAAAAA3g/6gnrV8KUZlM/s320/Omen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207921492953901090" border="0" /></a><br />So Primal. So Powerful. The only score that I have ever had people tell me to turn off because it was upsetting them. Wow. That's power. In my opinion, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Omen</span> rates a very very few small (almost imperceptible) notches above Williams' <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaws</span>, and Herrmann's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Psycho</span> (I'd be tempted to make it a three way tie). And I would - but for one small, but significant, reason. Goldsmith's score perfects everything that had come before it. The culmination of decades worth of forward momentum, creativity, ingenuity, and inspired genuis come to a head with this film and its score. Consider, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Goldsmith </span>makes great use of the theological and religious themes of the narrative by incorporating Latin chant and choral pieces. This, in and of itself became an incredibly influential strategy for the genre. Additionally, while Goldsmith terrifies and unsettles us he also enchants us with a beautifully conceived love theme. And I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">beautiful. </span>It's shocking how gorgeous a melody it is and how subtly it is re-worked into small minor statements - played by a solitary piano - but now it is a signifier of terror and doom. Brilliant. It's hard to believe, but <span style="font-weight: bold;">Goldsmith</span> actually outdoes HIMSELF with his score to <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Final Conflict</span> which is even a grander statement than his work on <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Omen!</span> I believe this is the most influential horror movie score of the modern era and see fit to place it at <span style="font-weight: bold;">number one</span>. I saw Jerry Goldsmith at the Fox Theater in Detroit several years ago (also fortunate enough to catch Henry Mancini at Meadowbrook around 1990) and I will forever treasure the memory. The maestro is missed - there will never be another Jerry Goldsmith (240 films). Every damn one special. One Oscar (out of seventeen nominations) - guess which film he won for.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Very </span>Honorable Mentions:<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEcTgsUgnhI/AAAAAAAAA3o/x6gpU05YDSM/s1600-h/Dead_Zone_Milan35694.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 175px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEcTgsUgnhI/AAAAAAAAA3o/x6gpU05YDSM/s200/Dead_Zone_Milan35694.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208152946451193362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dead Zone (1983)</span> - <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Michael Kamen. </span> Kamen's score for David Cronenberg's <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dead Zone</span> is a triumph. Talk about hitting the baton out of the park first time at bat - this was Kamen's first original score for a motion picture and boy does it deliver. It is, all at once, haunting, chilling, romantic, dreamy, subdued, and at times otherworldly (to mesh with Johnny's second sight). The romantic theme "<span style="font-style: italic;">Lost Love</span>" is very painful and the now "Kamenesque" second sight phrasing of "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Dead Zone</span>" main title is very very haunting. 1994 saw Milan's release of the cd which is long out of print. A re-issue is waaaaaaaaaay overdue. Incidentally this is my second favorite Stephen King novel - heartbreaking, painful, very sad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEcWfqjz_1I/AAAAAAAAA3w/e-FLkrP8YG4/s1600-h/Dracula_Varese_VSD_5250.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 173px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEcWfqjz_1I/AAAAAAAAA3w/e-FLkrP8YG4/s200/Dracula_Varese_VSD_5250.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208156227333521234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula (1979) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">John Williams.</span></span> Williams delivers a fully symphonic, highly romanticized, epic score to John Badham's 1979 variation of the Dracula mythology. Much like the film, Williams' approach is to emphasize the exoticism and foreign otherness of our Transylvania invader. Often treating him as a sympathetic hero (this was a misinterpretation of Langella's - in no place does Stoker ever try to evoke sympathy for his Count, he is at all times a monstrous threat, not a misunderstood hero). Once again, as with <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaws</span>, Williams is reinterpreting the genre from an outsider's perspective. This results in a fully symphonic score - and one that damn near made the top 10. It's that good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdiM9jVJdI/AAAAAAAAA4I/C-kZBQellkc/s1600-h/drac92.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 172px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdiM9jVJdI/AAAAAAAAA4I/C-kZBQellkc/s200/drac92.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208239468897969618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Wojciech Kilar.</span></span> Kilar's approach, like Williams before him is to accentuate a highly romanticized version of the Count - taking advantage of Hart and Coppola's "reincarnation" horseshit. Kilar incorporates incredibly realized Eastern European flourishes which are felt in the major themes as well as the major <span style="font-style: italic;">romantic</span> themes, which are gentle and very beautiful. In stark contrast are the brass and bass heavy marches of the Vampire Hunters, which have been used in dozens and dozens of movie trailers. The last two pieces of the film,<span style="font-style: italic;"> Love Eternal</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Ascension</span> are two of the finest cues I have ever heard in a film, horror or otherwise. A favorite of fellow countryman Roman Polanski's, Kilar is a profoundly deep-thinking composer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdiYSD_6II/AAAAAAAAA4Q/H8cDRWm5taA/s1600-h/orca.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 172px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdiYSD_6II/AAAAAAAAA4Q/H8cDRWm5taA/s200/orca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208239663382259842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Orca - (1977) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Ennio Morricone.</span></span> I'll be honest with you. When I finally got a hold of this disc a couple of years ago - I was going through a tough time. Memories of the film, memories associated with the film, and the tough road I was currently on - made me seriously break down and cry. The score is exquisite and classic Morricone, filled with siren-like vocals and chilling, haunting melodies. The lyrics to the achingly sad theme of the two whales "<span style="font-style: italic;">We are one, cried my love, let me lead you through the stillness of the night, deliver dawn's first light, my love</span>" - man, it got me (even though the song is cut from the release), the melody is there. I can't listen to the score anymore. But, you should.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEditGrAbkI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/USAx4WuAVpg/s1600-h/housefrank.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 172px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEditGrAbkI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/USAx4WuAVpg/s200/housefrank.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208240021101899330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">House of Frankenstein (1944) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Hans J. Salter (with Paul Dessau).</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> </span> This amazing score is essentially a<span style="font-style: italic;"> Symphonie Fantastique. </span>It is filled with crazy, hyper, thrilling compositons. The <span style="font-style: italic;">Main Titles </span>alone provide enough frenetic statements for a dozen Universal Monster all-star extravaganzas. Crazy brass, furious strings, xylophones approximating skeleton bones, passionate woodwinds, and musical themes for the major characters are what you will be treated to when listening to this AMAZING piece of work. Most highly recommended!!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdjmQXOByI/AAAAAAAAA4o/OwxRvz8LyQk/s1600-h/Gods.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 169px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdjmQXOByI/AAAAAAAAA4o/OwxRvz8LyQk/s200/Gods.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208241002955802402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gods and Monsters (1998) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Carter Burwell.</span></span> Carter Burwell's Gods and Monsters is ridiculously haunting and sad. Chronicling the life of legendary and openly gay director James Whale, director Bill Condon (using Christopher Bram's Father of Frankenstein) take some creative liberties connecting the dots of Whale's life, but get the tone and point of it all absolutely spot on. This score haunted me for weeks. It is genius - it is also extremely postmodern in its designs: Intertextual nods to Waxman (tonal cues, open ended cadences), using Waltzes (which works unbelievably well) for tracking painful memories, and so on. The last cue "Friend?" - where we find Brendan Fraser start to walk down an alley - and then suddenly begin to mimic the steps of Karloff's Monster blew my mind for days. Profoundly haunting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdi66tfWLI/AAAAAAAAA4g/kTF9z4U42aA/s1600-h/sleepy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 171px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEdi66tfWLI/AAAAAAAAA4g/kTF9z4U42aA/s200/sleepy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208240258409257138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sleepy Hollow (1999) - <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Danny Elfman.</span></span> Stunningly beautiful and lyrically complex (a choir & boy sopranoist solos) Elfman's hugely symphonic score to Sleepy Hallow is, in my estimation, his second greatest achievement (just below <span style="font-weight: bold;">A Simple Plan</span>). Remarkably complex, less imitative of Herrmann, and with utterly incredible action cues, Elfman (at that point in his career) had reached a maturity that was inevitable. His refinement has continued since 1999 - so as to emerge as one of cinema's elder statesman. I adore this movie and the score is absolutely sublime. The closing track "<span style="font-style: italic;">A New Day</span>" is old Elfman at his best - magical.<br /><br />I know that's a lot of honorable mentions, but I feel very strongly about them not being in the top ten. Lastly, major props to Harry Manfredini for his theme to the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Friday the 13th</span> franchise - a wonderful calling card for horror's all-time killing champ<br />&<br />also, to <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Nightmare on Elm Street</span>'s composer Charles Bernstein for his equally iconic, dreamy cue. Last shout out goes to Manfred Hubler and Siegfried Schwab for their <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Vampyros Lesbos</span> - but, I'm too tired to write any more.<span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span>Well, I've got a dissertation to write. I'll be back in several days... And, The Red Wings WON!Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-28718503834686880552008-05-27T22:30:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:24:03.492-08:00Top Ten Vampire Babes of All Time<a href="http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/12331">Bloody Disgusting</a> recently posted their list of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Top Ten Vampire Babes</span>. Well, I don't align with ANY of their choices as a top 10 - as a top 100 - sure. But, overall, I thought Bloody Disgusting's choices were bloody awful. As this is a matter largely of personal taste I've decided to make my own Top 10. This is a list built entirely from personal (libidinal) preference; the choices are not a reflection of the films <span style="font-style: italic;">per se, </span>rather this list is simply about laying down arms and surrendering to these dark, dangerous, creatures...<br /><br />And so, without further delay, I implore you to lay down your hammers, stakes, garlic, holy water, super soakers, hedge clippers, what have you, because <span style="font-style: italic;">Chick Young Proudly Presents Trash Aesthetics'</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Top 10 Vampire Babes of All Time: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">10. Count Yorga's Harem of Honeys </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >- </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Count Yorga Vampire </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold;">&</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" > The Return of Count Yorga 1970 and 71'</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyZ4R5ttCI/AAAAAAAAAxw/ukVpTDiqn84/s1600-h/yorg3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 167px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyZ4R5ttCI/AAAAAAAAAxw/ukVpTDiqn84/s400/yorg3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205204461490648098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyaCh5ttDI/AAAAAAAAAx4/igjc5TS-avo/s1600-h/yorg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 157px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyaCh5ttDI/AAAAAAAAAx4/igjc5TS-avo/s400/yorg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205204637584307250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyaSh5ttEI/AAAAAAAAAyA/RzbzX93Vel0/s1600-h/yorg2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyaSh5ttEI/AAAAAAAAAyA/RzbzX93Vel0/s400/yorg2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205204912462214210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyaqh5ttFI/AAAAAAAAAyI/Le1T3ymI0K0/s1600-h/yorg1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 163px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDyaqh5ttFI/AAAAAAAAAyI/Le1T3ymI0K0/s400/yorg1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205205324779074642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Can't have none of em' so I might as well have all of em'. Yes, that's right, just about all of the hot chickies from both Count Yorga films wind up becoming vampires - and what a harem this Bulgarian Vulgarian amasses. Special emphasis must go to Judy Lang for her Chef Boyardee slathered kitten munching scene. Although the Vampire Hunters in both films spend a tremendous amount of time running away from all this vampire hotness - in truth - they represent the ultimate vampire hunters wet dream. Don't go down fighting in these films - just go DOWN - and shout... "I regret Nothinnnnng!"<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">9. The Brides from </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Dracula 2000 (2000).</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxHEB5ts0I/AAAAAAAAAwY/ApfEpEPyyik/s1600-h/bridedrac2000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxHEB5ts0I/AAAAAAAAAwY/ApfEpEPyyik/s400/bridedrac2000.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205113403889005378" border="0" /></a><br />In keeping with the spirit of Number 10's having your cake and eating it too - Jeri Ryan, Colleen Fitzpatrick (Vitamin C) and Jennifer Esposito make an incredibly toothsome trio of vampire honeys!! Not to mention Justine Waddell - whose Mary is also utterly perfect. And, I mention in passing that Justine did a pretty damn good job playing Natalie Wood (The Mystery of Natalie Wood). <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula 2000 </span>is clever, original, well-executed, and has Christopher Plummer as Van Helsing - nuf' said. Underrated movie.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingrid Pitt</span> as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Carla Lynde</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> - </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The House That Dripped Blood (1971).</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxJFB5ts1I/AAAAAAAAAwg/Kk5wr8skZMQ/s1600-h/vlovers.gif.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxJFB5ts1I/AAAAAAAAAwg/Kk5wr8skZMQ/s400/vlovers.gif.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205115620092130130" border="0" /></a><br />The only actress that is on both Bloody Disgusting's list and my own, albeit for different films. My choice is for her snobby and bitchy Carla Lynde in <span style="font-weight: bold;">The House That Dripped Blood</span>. Oh the thrills I used to get watching her pop out of her shoes and fly up to John Pertwee - fangs popped, cleavage at the ready. This was regularly aired in Detroit in the late 70s and early 80s - and remains, for me, a very treasured (Robert Bloch penned) anthology.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate Nelligan </span>as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Lucy Seward</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> - </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Dracula 1979.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxKIB5ts2I/AAAAAAAAAwo/V_hJBiVAFx4/s1600-h/Kate+Nel.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxKIB5ts2I/AAAAAAAAAwo/V_hJBiVAFx4/s400/Kate+Nel.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205116771143365474" border="0" /></a>I have always admired Kate Nelligan and was saddened that she was primarily used in supporting roles in the States. She's a vastly underrated actress, of whom, we sadly did not see enough. However, her turn in John Badham's also vastly underrated <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dracula (1979)</span> has become quite iconic. The spider to the fly scene in Sewards asylum is a magisterial display of clever and original mise en scène. I especially love the bat-like wings of her period costume. An Amazing scene in which Kate achieves a very, very dark beauty.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Andree Melly</span> as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Gina</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> in </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >The Brides of Dracula (1960).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD0WZB5ttOI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/FuuXmXpFvvA/s1600-h/brides.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 217px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD0WZB5ttOI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/FuuXmXpFvvA/s400/brides.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205341363573208290" border="0" /></a>This scene freaked me OUT AS A KID!! I wrote about it over at <a href="http://www.thehorrorblog.com/">The Horror Blog Roundtable</a> a few weeks ago. First the bit with the padlocks, and then BINGO! Up comes Gina propositioning all sorts of serious girl on girl action to Marianne. Wow, wow, wow. Andree was sort of like Barbara Steele's separated at birth twin. They shared similar physical features and both starred in horror films. Andree worked with Terence Fisher again on The Horror of it All (1963) which desperately needs a DVD release. Lord, I loved her - beautiful, lithe, and dangerous. What's not to like?<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Barbara Shelley</span> as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Helen Kent</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> in </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Dracula - Prince of Darkness (1966).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDzoch5ttKI/AAAAAAAAAyw/FD7k4kFVLHc/s1600-h/barb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDzoch5ttKI/AAAAAAAAAyw/FD7k4kFVLHc/s400/barb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205290846167872674" border="0" /></a>What happens when you release decades of repressed Victorian psychic and sexual energies? Barbara Shelley turns psycho-vamp-nympho that's what. This truly lovely English actress has graced many films with her classy presence. But, it was her extremely frigid and prim <span style="font-style: italic;">Helen Kent </span>that became a blast furnace of heat once the drives of her Id were ignited and seriously vented. Her "gang-rape" staking scene is one of the true marvels of English censorship - how it cleared the censors is beyond me - such a tremendously subversive scene! Old Drac really blew it in this one - he had an auburn haired fireball and let her get away. Tsk, tsk, tsk...<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Yutte Stensgaard</span> as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Mircalla/Carmilla</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> in </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Lust for a Vampire 1971.</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD2VmB5ttPI/AAAAAAAAAzY/91EwEAhLmrQ/s1600-h/Yutte1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD2VmB5ttPI/AAAAAAAAAzY/91EwEAhLmrQ/s400/Yutte1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205481224888235250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br /></span>Probably the most famous vampire publicity still of the 1970s. Yutte Stensgaard' s (Did you say Yutte?) Carmilla was a most bewitching and seductive vampire. A Stunning Swedish export, Stensgaard's movie career was short-lived after she married - leaving acting for good in 1972. Pity, what a Bond girl she would've made! Charming, beautiful, and missed by her fans.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Tate</span> as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Sarah Shagal </span><span style="font-size:130%;">in</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" > <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Fearless Vampire Killers (1966).</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDzj-h5ttHI/AAAAAAAAAyY/Iq0WVD5u6Ow/s1600-h/sharontate10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDzj-h5ttHI/AAAAAAAAAyY/Iq0WVD5u6Ow/s400/sharontate10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205285932725286002" border="0" /></a>What can you say about Sharon Tate that has not already been said. Although a tragically short life - her youthfulness is forever preserved on celluloid. And, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fearless Vampire Killers (or Pardon me but Your Teeth are in My Neck)</span> remains a wonderful mix of comedy and (light) chills, progressing the genre and leaving us with a lush, vivid, brilliantly conceived and shot film (really, has Polanski ever framed a bad shot?). In fact, I just watched it again today - "<span style="font-style: italic;">When I say barricade, I mean BARRICADE!</span>" Although her dramatic chops were questioned by critics, I found Sharon to be a very adept comedian. I especially love her as <span style="font-style: italic;">Freya Carlson</span> in the very fun Matt Helm romp, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Wrecking Crew</span> (1968). She is delightful - when she parts her beautiful, wet, red locks and says to Matt - "It's too deep" - I lose it every damn time. Sharon is gorgeous.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Soledad Miranda</span> as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Countess Nadine Carody </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vamyros Lesbos 1971</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" > - or Lucy </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Count Dracula - 1970. <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Take yer Pick!</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxTDh5ts5I/AAAAAAAAAxA/EeFm8f5c-O0/s1600-h/scvamp45.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxTDh5ts5I/AAAAAAAAAxA/EeFm8f5c-O0/s400/scvamp45.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205126589438604178" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxVgB5ts6I/AAAAAAAAAxI/_1rcRiKdQGs/s1600-h/vampyroslesbos.gif.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxVgB5ts6I/AAAAAAAAAxI/_1rcRiKdQGs/s400/vampyroslesbos.gif.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205129278088131490" border="0" /></a>Numbers 2 and 3 (and my beloved Natalie a bit further down) seem to be my <span style="font-style: italic;">life cut tragically short </span>picks. The tragedy of Sharon's (and her unborn baby's) murder and the tragedy of Soledad's premature death are the bittersweet spectres of my list. Just as this ravishing, flawless Spaniard was about to catapult to major international fame - her life ended. Fortunately, she made a generous amount of films and music recordings, many with the man who called Soledad his muse, the infamous Jess Franco, who directed both of these entries. I nearly made her my number 1 - but, I just had to give that honor to...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mary and Madeleine Collinson</span>, aka The Collinson Twins as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Maria and Freida</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> in </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Twins of Evil (1971).<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4eCB5ttQI/AAAAAAAAAzg/7yxK_gZQjfY/s1600-h/pic11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4eCB5ttQI/AAAAAAAAAzg/7yxK_gZQjfY/s400/pic11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205631239505949954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4eNx5ttRI/AAAAAAAAAzo/7LHo85VI6wQ/s1600-h/twins3.jpg.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4eNx5ttRI/AAAAAAAAAzo/7LHo85VI6wQ/s400/twins3.jpg.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205631441369412882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4eVB5ttSI/AAAAAAAAAzw/BE6ugbAKal0/s1600-h/twins.bmp.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4eVB5ttSI/AAAAAAAAAzw/BE6ugbAKal0/s400/twins.bmp.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205631565923464482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4ibR5ttUI/AAAAAAAAA0A/LnEwbT_eSYs/s1600-h/Futurama_nixons_head.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 73px; height: 77px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SD4ibR5ttUI/AAAAAAAAA0A/LnEwbT_eSYs/s200/Futurama_nixons_head.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205636071344158018" border="0" /></a>Come on - you can't beat this. As Richard Nixon's Head would say... "ARR-OOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" The Holy Grail of Vampire Hotness. I just don't think you can top Playboy magazine's first twin-sister centerfolds. Really, I just don't think it's possible. And, why Bloody Disgusting has only ONE single Hammer film on their list (and for Countess Dracula??) is utterly beyond me. NOT when you have the Karnstein Lesbian Trilogy to pick from friends and neighbors, of which this film, 1971's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Twins of Evil</span> completes. I wore this VHS completely out! Fortunately, I have a region free player as this film has yet to see an NTSC release. The Collinson's are beyond the limits of dramatic prose here - so I'll just stop now.<br /><br />THAT'S ALL FOLKS! Well, maybe I should notate a few more:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Few Honorable Mentions:</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxYyR5ts7I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/IJ_j_o4Yw2g/s1600-h/Anne+Gwynne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxYyR5ts7I/AAAAAAAAAxQ/IJ_j_o4Yw2g/s200/Anne+Gwynne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205132890155627442" border="0" /></a>Anne Gwynne as <span style="font-style: italic;">Rita Hussman</span> - Well she doesn't <span style="font-style: italic;">exactly</span> become a vampire in 1944's <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">House of Frankenstein</span>, she just sorta puts on Dracula's ring which acts as a sort jewelry piece of blotter acid for the undead. But, damn, Anne was sooooo beautiful. Just absolutely stunning. A timeless quality to her looks - like Ava Gardner or Rita Hayworth, she just radiated beauty. She was a very popular pin up during World War II and one of the first scream queens. Beautiful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxZmB5ts8I/AAAAAAAAAxY/hkKMaJvdSHI/s1600-h/mornay.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDxZmB5ts8I/AAAAAAAAAxY/hkKMaJvdSHI/s200/mornay.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205133779213857730" border="0" /></a>Lénore Aubert as <span style="font-style: italic;">Dr. Sandra Mornay</span> in <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)</span>. Sophisticated and very sexy Austrian-born actress, sadly blacklisted for her uncooperative nature when it came to "back-room" deals to help her "upward mobility." Ms. Aubert told em' to go to Hell! Her Sandra is one cool (possibly sadistic, it is hinted that she engaged in human experiments during the war) cucumber - even going so far as to challenge the Original Dracula (Lugosi) to a battle of wills! Guess who wins...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRxCsW8PgdI/AAAAAAAABqU/RT_Op_CM9sE/s1600-h/Vamp+lovers"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 164px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SRxCsW8PgdI/AAAAAAAABqU/RT_Op_CM9sE/s200/Vamp+lovers" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268158993956569554" border="0" /></a>Kirsten Lindholm as <span style="font-style: italic;">1st Vampire</span> in <span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Vampire Lovers (1970).</span><b> </b></span>Holeee-Jawbone Batman! Kirsten pops her mouth open wide enough to swallow a cannonball before she gets decapitated, and let me tell you - my seven year old self was smitten right away. She really did provide dark frissons as she glided across that English landscape to her (sadly) death. Pity, to die in the first reel. Fortunately, Kirsten is in all three Karnstein films!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDzSSR5ttGI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/cbvGlrjVwro/s1600-h/Tina2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDzSSR5ttGI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/cbvGlrjVwro/s200/Tina2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205266480818402402" border="0" /></a>Tina Louise as <span style="font-style: italic;">Countess Gilligan</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Gilligan's </span><st1:place style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;" st="on">Island</st1:place><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"> S03,E01 </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Up at Bat<i>. </i></span>The decision of Mary Ann or Ginger is made considerably easier - at least in this episode, as Mary Ann plays a weathered old hag and Ginger is the succulent wife of Bob Denver's Count Gilligan. Another memory scorched into my temporal lobe at around age 4 or 5. The best part is that Tina really has a good time with the role - hamming it up, and laughing maniacally. It's classic TV at its best.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEyf0wl9FHI/AAAAAAAAA5w/wbcCIHMvmfg/s1600-h/Arlene1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEyf0wl9FHI/AAAAAAAAA5w/wbcCIHMvmfg/s200/Arlene1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209714597706929266" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEyvahuLvLI/AAAAAAAAA54/RNaOcTUhKdY/s1600-h/Arlene.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEyvahuLvLI/AAAAAAAAA54/RNaOcTUhKdY/s200/Arlene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209731739224358066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEyyJcxA18I/AAAAAAAAA6A/f29n9YgPCzg/s1600-h/Arlene2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SEyyJcxA18I/AAAAAAAAA6A/f29n9YgPCzg/s200/Arlene2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209734744371156930" border="0" /></a> Arlene Martel as <span style="font-style: italic;">Lorelei</span> in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Monkees S02, E50 The Monkees Monster Bash</span>. Arlene Martel sure has a cult following. Her turns on Star Trek, Wild Wild West, Hogan's Heroes, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E (to name only a few!) have guaranteed her legions of fans. She was on The Monkees twice, but I'll always remember and love her for her incredibly sexy, groovy and hip vampire - Lorelei. "<span style="font-style: italic;">You fool it is not my kiss, but the Magic Necklace!</span>" The Monkees was decades ahead of its time; its extremely sophisticated visual design and creative uses of pastiche, intertextuality, fourth wall transgressions, and self-relexivity make it <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> perfect postmodern television series. I loved it as a kid and am in awe of it as an adult. And, just to illustrate Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein's influence and impact - the plot of this episode is identical. Swap brains of the monster with pacifist/hippie/simple Peter Tork. We even have an "Invisible Man" tag at the end! Nice.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDu0vB5tsyI/AAAAAAAAAwI/sdxKxOBYXdM/s1600-h/nataliewoodhq220da6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SDu0vB5tsyI/AAAAAAAAAwI/sdxKxOBYXdM/s320/nataliewoodhq220da6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204952514414097186" border="0" /></a>And lastly, in the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"I wish this actress would've made a vampire film" </span>category. Well, it should come as NO surprise to anyone who has read this blog that this honor would fall to Natalie Wood. But, in all honesty, that would may not have been such a good thing after all. I'm sure many of you remember the <a href="http://www.zippyvideos.com/4876521783295056/benny_hill-strip-poker/">Benny Hill skit where Benny's in the nursing home playing strip poker with his hot young nurse?</a> She's already down to stockings, garters, panties and bra and loses another hand - as she's about to take off her top he gets a massive heart attack from the anticipation. Well, that would be my fate - to see Natalie in full Vampire garb would result in severe Tachycardia and probably death, but I'd go with a smile on my face! In fact, I do believe that the next piece of art that I commission (when I have the money) will be this scenario. Niice.<br /><br />Well, that's it then. I'm completely sure your list differs - depending on your sexual tastes, preferences, and orientation. A film's place in history, the canon to which it belongs, its "importance" or thematic and aesthetic "qualities" can be debated, BUT, a list of Hot Vampire Women is a very personal project. If you do fancy a sizzlin' vampiress - perhaps you'll agree with some of my choices and perhaps you won't. There's DOZENS of women I had to leave off of this list (I'm tempted to start listing them) which was made in haste, but they're up here (taps forehead) all right, they're up here...Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-38105364089461313292008-05-16T12:54:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:24:04.074-08:00R.I.P John Phillip Law 1937-2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SC3nbtYdMyI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/lNspUw_XTig/s1600-h/Diabolik.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SC3nbtYdMyI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/lNspUw_XTig/s400/Diabolik.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201067607907447586" border="0" /></a><br />From the Associated Press:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Phillip Law, the strikingly handsome 1960s movie actor who portrayed an angel in the futuristic "Barbarella" and a lovesick Russian seaman in "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming," has died. He was 70.<p>Law died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home, said his daughter Dawn Law. The cause of death was not announced.</p><p>With his vivid eyes, blond hair and imposing physique, Law was much in demand by filmmakers in the late 1960s and early '70s."</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SC3n69YdMzI/AAAAAAAAAvY/T3YXLW44iOU/s1600-h/Diabolik1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SC3n69YdMzI/AAAAAAAAAvY/T3YXLW44iOU/s320/Diabolik1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201068144778359602" border="0" /></a>I adored John Phillip Law. His turns in<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Barbarella</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Golden Voyage of Sinbad</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Danger Diabolik</span> made him a cult film lover's ideal idol. Ruggedly handsome, physically imposing, and very talented - Law was, and remains, a major icon of fantastic cinema. These qualities combined with his multi-lingual abilities made him a valuable commodity in the Europe of the 1960s and 70s - which were his most active decades as an actor. He was a genuinely decent man who lived a remarkable life. His commentary (with Tim Lucas) on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Danger Diabolik</span> is extremely lively, funny, informative and thoroughly enjoyable. We are grateful to have it. My friend in Spain - Carlos Aguilar, the world's greatest authority on Spanish cinema and an incredible film historian in general - has completed a book on John Phillip Law which we all eagerly await. Thank You John Phillip Law and rest in peace.Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-32775559943214286522008-05-12T13:58:00.000-07:002008-05-13T12:38:52.802-07:00Clip of the WeekI've begun writing a very lengthy project. I will still continue to update the blog on a consistent basis, but while I get my bearings for this project, things might slow for just a little bit. In the meantime, enjoy the CLIP OF THE WEEK narrated by none other than one of my hugest, biggest heroes of all time ->->->->->-> JOE FUCKIN' DANTE! His website <a href="http://trailersfromhell.com/">TRAILERS FROM HELL</a> is a brilliant ever-growing collection of film trailers that are graced with commentaries from Dante's colleagues and friends, John Landis, Mary Lambert, Stuart Gordon, Alan Arkush, Rick Baker, Jon Davison, Jack Hill - and so on. As I've said before, Dante is my favorite film historian of all time. He's a bottomless pit of knowledge which is then augmented by his extensive (from grindhouse trailer editor to major studio director) industry experience. As Reni Santoni says in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid </span>- <span style="font-style: italic;">"What a guy!"<br /><br /><object height="360" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://trailersfromhell.com/flv/flvplayer.swf?file=http://trailersfromhell.com/images/trailers/224.flv&image=http://trailersfromhell.com/images/featured1.jpg&link=http://trailersfromhell.com/trailers/93"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://trailersfromhell.com/flv/flvplayer.swf?file=http://trailersfromhell.com/images/trailers/224.flv&image=http://trailersfromhell.com/images/featured1.jpg&link=http://trailersfromhell.com/trailers/93" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="360" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /></span>Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-612525184539175284.post-67268924353888307502008-05-04T14:12:00.000-07:002008-12-10T10:24:05.081-08:00NEW RATING SYSTEM AT TRASH-AESTHETICSHowdy Folks,<br /><br />My favorite Television show of all time is M*A*S*H (I'll be posting on it in the near future). Meantime, I'm implementing a new rating system here at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trash-Aesthetics</span>. I won't be using it too much as I mostly review by way of the GONE TO BED SERIES or GIRLS AM/WAS GA GA OVER, and those would all receive the highest rating possible, naturally. But, for other stuff, like films I go see and such - - we've got a new Commanding Officer in camp and here are his dictates:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4n4pk1r0I/AAAAAAAAAtQ/_3FdC1nMWXA/s1600-h/Sherman_T.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4n4pk1r0I/AAAAAAAAAtQ/_3FdC1nMWXA/s320/Sherman_T.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196634874218655554" border="0" /></a>An <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"OFFICIAL SHERMAN T. POTTER OKEY DOKEY"</span> is the highest rating that can be earned. Not only do you have Col. Potter's respect, but you most certainly have outdone yourself in every way imaginable. This is, to me, praise of the utmost caliber. The item reviewed is purely, and simply, <span style="font-weight: bold;">FAN-DAMN-TASTIC!</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4oO5k1r1I/AAAAAAAAAtY/-6Yd9NP1eMk/s1600-h/Sherms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 166px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4oO5k1r1I/AAAAAAAAAtY/-6Yd9NP1eMk/s320/Sherms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196635256470744914" border="0" /></a>After an Official Sherm Okey Dokey, the next highest rating that can be earned is the <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"HOLY HEMOSTAT!"</span> </span><span>Sherm thinks very highly of your efforts. His respect and admiration for your skills are formidable and he would give his all to see that you earned a promotion, or at least, a commendation for your efforts. A class act all around.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4pAJk1r2I/AAAAAAAAAtg/P6W3YtBnNV8/s1600-h/shpotter1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 180px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4pAJk1r2I/AAAAAAAAAtg/P6W3YtBnNV8/s320/shpotter1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196636102579302242" border="0" /></a>The generally amused but slightly concerned or annoyed Potter is the next ranking on the latter down and is referred to here simply as<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"OHH...PIGEON PELLETS!"</span> </span><span>Sherm is not overwhelmed or underwhelmed, he is a mildly interested bystander. Neither commendation or recommendation are in order. A job done - not necessarily well and not necessarily poorly. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4p5Zk1r3I/AAAAAAAAAto/WC6hdqHIOiw/s1600-h/Sherman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 201px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4p5Zk1r3I/AAAAAAAAAto/WC6hdqHIOiw/s320/Sherman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196637086126813042" border="0" /></a>Now Sherm is getting a bit sour, and if you are rating below a "Pigeon Pellets", you are heading for a none too complimentary Shermie <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"WHAT IN THE NAME OF SWEET FANNY ADAMS...?!"</span> </span><span>Sherm is not pleased at all. As his former character </span>Major General Bartford Hamilton Steele (3 E's! Not all in a row!) would say... <span style="font-weight: bold;">WASTE, WASTE, WASTE!</span> This is a waste of time and Sherm recommends skipping it!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4q05k1r4I/AAAAAAAAAtw/ZZxspfXej5I/s1600-h/Sherm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 184px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4q05k1r4I/AAAAAAAAAtw/ZZxspfXej5I/s320/Sherm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196638108329029506" border="0" /></a>And, lastly. You're in the hoosegow big-time if you get the dreaded <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"SUFFERIN' SADDLESOAP."</span> </span>Sherm thinks you and your work are utterly worthless. You have disappointed a fine man and an old horse-soldier. For shame. For shame.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4t7Jk1r5I/AAAAAAAAAt4/G-25OB3vqV8/s1600-h/10045563.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 175px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB4t7Jk1r5I/AAAAAAAAAt4/G-25OB3vqV8/s320/10045563.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196641514238095250" border="0" /></a>I reserve this rating if the piece being reviewed is somehow offensive to one's intelligence or causes irrational fits of rage. If you get the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BJ MUSTACHE</span> rating, wow, this movie is not fit for human consumption. Now don't get me wrong, I like B.J. Hunnicutt just fine. However, his mustache and occasional "over do it" episodes are inexcusable. If this rating is given out to a film, it is because I would like to urinate on it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB5dN5k1r7I/AAAAAAAAAuI/4rhHxNJWm2k/s1600-h/klinger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 162px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6Cto-_J-t4/SB5dN5k1r7I/AAAAAAAAAuI/4rhHxNJWm2k/s320/klinger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196693513407147954" border="0" /></a>Lastly, if there is a film that transcends the boundaries set above, it will receive the opposite of the BJ MUSTACHE rating, the greatest and highest award a film can recieve. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">THE KLINGER STATUE OF LIBERTY</span> rating! This is reserved for recognized masterworks, i.e., Citizen Kane, Sunrise, L'Avventura, and my personal recognized masterworks, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Black Sunday, Into the Blue, etc etc.<br /><br /><br />Hope this rating system will aid any readers as to how reception may be measured on my end. Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.Chick Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01237639618482587471noreply@blogger.com4