All posts by Carl V. Anderson

Film News

Fall/Winter Movie Previews

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There’s some great stuff coming out at your local movie house this season and I thought I’d post a few trailer links just to whet some movie-lover appetites (release dates are subject to change):

Zathura opens November 11th and is an outer space version of Jumanji that just looks fantastic. It looks to be a great movie for the family and for the science fiction geek as well…I mean what sci fi geek hasn’t dreamt of suddenly being in outer space. I hope it lives up to its hype as it looks to be great fun. Trailer here.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opens November 18th. I must profess that I have not read any of the HP books and have only seen one of the movies…the second installment I believe…and thus have not been caught up in the HP phenomenon. I am thankful, however, for the impact J.K. Rowling has had on bringing children back to reading. Despite not seeing the other films I have to say that this film looks incredible. The kids are more grown up which appeals to me and the film looks to be more adventure laden on the lines of films like LOTR. I wouldn’t mind seeing this one and though one might be slightly lost on minute details without having an introduction to the universe this film looks to me like it was made to stand alone and attract first time viewers. This film will no doubt be a fall blockbuster. Trailer here.

The Ice Harvest opens November 23rd. This isn’t a movie I plan to see in the theatres but it is one I’m interested in for a number of reasons, the strongest being that it is a John Cusak film. I became a Cusak fan in college and have rarely been disappointed by his work. This film looks to be a black comedy along the lines of Grosse Point Blank and has the added fun of being set in Wichita and Kansas City. Its from the guy who made Groundhog Day and Analyze This so it has the potential of being quite entertaining. Trailer here.

Rent opens November 23rd and is the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical of the same name. I have not seen the musical and know nothing about it but as a fan of musicals I’d really like to see this one. The trailer looks really good (I recommend trailer 1 for quality) and I really like the song they feature in it. Looks interesting.

Aeon Flux opens December 2nd and is the movie adaptation of the bizarre MTV animated series. I haven’t seen the series but I’m really looking forward to this movie. Looks like a great blend of science fiction and action with a hot chick (Charlize Theron) doing some major butt-kicking…what more could a sci fi geek want? Opening the main site in the above link will start the trailer automatically.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe opens December 9th. With the end of Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings series I had been lamenting the fact that Christmas would not be bringing a similar quality of movie…until I heard about the Narnia film. While I don’t expect it to occupy the same place in my affections I do think it looks to be a fantastic film based on a wonderful piece of classic children’s literature. The trailer page is here and I recommend watching the newest trailer, trailer 2, as it is incredible! I can’t wait to see this one.

King Kong opens December 14th. Since PJ’s dominating hold over the box office for the past several years who hasn’t been looking forward to his next big film? I remember seeing both versions of King Kong as a child but have little remembrance of either and I’ve been psyched about this ever since the trailer first hit theatres. It looks incredible and I hope it is the blockbuster everyone expects it to be. Not wanting to wait to begin cashing in on his masterpiece Peter Jackson is releasing a DVD extravaganza called the Production Diaries loaded with extra geek appealing items. Check it out here (scroll to bottom of page). I can’t wait to see dinosaurs and a big monkey on the big screen!!!

The Producers opens December 16th. Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane reprise their roles of the hit Broadway musical of the same name. I really enjoy both of these stars and, again, I love musicals so this is a must see. I saw Matthew Broderick in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway several years ago and he was fantastic and I have no doubt this will be as well. Trailer here.

Mrs. Henderson Presents opens December 23rd. “Set in pre-World War II London, Mrs Henderson Presents tells the remarkable true-life story of one of England’s most prominent and eccentric society figures, Laura Henderson, who founded the historic Windmill Theatre.” I really enjoy Dame Judi Dench and this looks like a fun, entertaining period film. Despite the risque nature of some of the theatrical productions at the Windmill Theatre I would imagine that this will be a mostly tasteful, tongue in cheek reimagining of said shows. This may be another that I don’t catch until it comes on DVD, but it looks enjoyable. Trailer here.

Underworld: Evolution opens January 20th, 2006. The first one was terrific vampire/werewolf goodness and the sequel promises to be just as cool. The website is still pretty barebones but there is a link to the trailer here.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll soon be applying for loans so I can afford to see all the movies I want to see this season.

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November

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I welcomed in the month of November with a 101 degree temp which changed to 102 on the second. Hooray for me. Maybe this means my fall/winter sickness has just gotten itself out of the way early. November is one of my favorite months for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that towards the end I add another year to my age. Then of course there is the feast of food that is called Thanksgiving…this is also the day that my family traditionally puts up the Christmas tree and turns on the Christmas lights for the first time. I love the feeling as November winds bring crisp, chilled nights and the spirit of the holiday season begins to permeate the air. Yes, November is a great month.

In Ireland November 1st is the first day of Winter, so to Fence, “happy winter”!
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As I lay home sick yesterday I was flipping channels and saw that Sci Fi was showing back to back episodes of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. I hadn’t seen that show since its original run. It was fun to watch. I found it less hokey than I thought I would despite the fact that it is obviously very dated. In at least one episode it was obvious that mini-skirts were the uniform-de-jour of the 25th century as that is what all the female crew were wearing. I remember really loving this show as a kid and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane yesterday.

I met Erin Grey at a Star Trek convention in Tulsa a few years back and was stunned at how little she appears to have aged. The couple in front of me in line commented on this to her and she talked for awhile about her exercise program, etc…it obviously worked for her. She was very nice.
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As I mentioned earlier, Thanksgiving is fast approaching. It is traditionally a time of massive overeating due to wonderful quantities of food being laid out in front of you. With this in mind I leave you this warning to be prepared and to lay off the left over Halloween candy in preparation for upcoming holiday gorging:

Happy November everyone!

Film

Millions

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Today is All Saint’s Day, a day most appropriate for the DVD release of the movie Millions.

It is a rare pleasure to discover a movie that hasn’t been overblown by media hype and yet truly deserves to be praised from the rooftops. Millions is one such movie. Mary and I saw this in its theatrical run back in May for our anniversary. Seeing the trailer online had us sold and Millions turned out to be a real treasure of a movie.

Millions is a story “from the imagination of Danny Boyle”. Boyle is no slouch in the movie department. He’s directed some great ones: Trainspotting (1996) and A Life Less Ordinary (1997) starring Ewan McGregor among others; The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio (2000) and 2002’s excellent zombie flick 28 Days Later. In Millions Boyle creates a feel good film with the whimsy and flair of Tim Burton’s Big Fish.

Millions centers around 7 year old Damian, a dreamer who sees and talks to dead saints, and his more practical 9 year old brother Anthony. The film opens with the boys moving to a new home with their father some time after the death of their mother. Anthony seems to deal with his mother’s death by being a normal, somewhat self-centered boy. Damian’s grief is dealt with differently. He envisions famous and not-so-famous saints and has detailed conversations. It is these moments that reflect the same magical element that Burton’s Big Fish does. A bag of money seemingly falls from the sky right into the lap of young Damian. Believing this is an answer to prayer he sets out trying to do good with his millions. Damian’s older brother has more material desires in mind. A slightly fantastical storyline involving crooks and a deadline in which the money must be spent sends both boys on a whirlwind adventure.

Everything about this film is amazing and it ranks up there with several bigger budget films as one of the best movies to come out this year. The cast is inspiring. James Nesbitt plays a very down to earth, “real” father, Lewis McGibbon is somewhat self-centered but ultimately very likeable as Damian’s older brother Anthony, and Alex Etel makes his acting debut as Damian and is absolutely terrific. The special, “whimsical” effects are wonderful, the film is vividly colored, and the soundtrack is filled with ethereal, uplifting music. Millions ends on an inspiring note that not only espouses the value of what true wealth is but does so in a way that really makes a difference. This film along with Dear Frankie are two of the best, least stereotypical “feel good” movies I’ve seen in a long time. It is wonderful.

I rushed out to buy this movie over my lunchbreak this afternoon and have already informed the family that this is tonight’s family activity. Mary and I love it and no doubt our daughter will fall in love with it as well. Hopefully you will too.

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All Hallow’s Eve

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Well it is here…Halloween…All Hallow’s Eve…the last day of October. Could a month have went by more rapidly? I don’t know. This post will be predominately pics so bear with me. Although long it should be a quick read.

My wife and 3 of her friends from work meet monthly at one or the other’s home for a get together. They adopted the name Dancing Tarts from the title of this post. Mary knew that I would appreciate the opportunity to do a Halloween-themed Tarts party and thus the invitations went out last week:


(Alex Raymond illustration for envelope)


(cover of tri-fold card)


(World series was over, of course…and vampire hunting proved unsuccessful)


(need to have at least one ‘tart’ on the invitation!)

The party kicked in gear Friday night. I decorated the kitchen table with this centerpiece

and each lady had their own grave marker treat bag

complete with really bad macabre poetry by yours truly. Each one reflects something about the Tart in question and I reprint them here for you to moan and groan at my poetic terror:

Mary (loves dessert):

Mary, Mary…quite contrary,
She was as a matter of fact.
Insisted on eating one last dessert
and she died of a tart attack.

Dominique (has an impending stray cat problem):

Curiosity drove Dominique to grant a reprieve
To every cat she discovered outside.
When she ran out of room she asked them to leave
Curiously they stayed, and she died.

Carrie (likes, and reportedly frequently sings, showtunes):

Carrie was quiet fond of her karaoke,
showtunes she like to sing.
‘Memory’, ‘Fame’, and “the hills are alive”
were a few of her favorite things.
One rainy night up on the roof
“the sun’ll come out tomorrow” did ring.
As she slipped and fell to the solid ground
she felt the wind beneath her her wings.

Laura (world champion knitter):

All the danger aside, a mob knitting job
was what our Laura did take.
A sweater for Nick, one matching for Pearl
she was now ordered to make.
She knitted all night but it wasn’t right
one was pink, the other blue.
They started to fight, Laura died that night
because Nick won (and) Pearl too.

There’s a bad knitting pun in that last line…really bad, I admit!

and Tori (my daughter…teenager…shopper):

Tori shopped and spent, purchased and bought
at the mall though she had not a need
Piled with bags, looking not as she ought
a ‘watch your step’ sign she did not heed.
Tumbling down to the floor below she thought
“Shop ’til you drop, indeed!”

Sorry, but I had to share. We ate delicious vegetarian chili, grilled cheese and apple sandwiches on sourdough bread, and had a cream cheese and chocolate pie for dessert. We roasted pumpkin seeds and the girls carved pumpkins:

We took them outside and lit them up and I played with various settings on Nick’s digital camera:

The long faced guys are squash that I had carved earlier in the day.

These are some pics of pumpkins and lights I took with the camera set on the ‘fireworks’ setting:



The party was alot of fun and I enjoyed being an honorary tart for the evening.
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Saturday afternoon the Smith family came over to carve pumpkins for the first time. Although I had cleaned out the inside of the Tart’s pumpkins the day before I thought Jeff needed to dive right in to get the whole effect.

We (the royal ‘we’…meaning ‘Mary’) baked cookies and we all sat around decorating them.


(Zach “the Fonz”, Tori, and Ashley)

Keri arrived and we carved pumpkins…the kids helped some but mom and dad got to do most of the work.


(Zach “the Fang”)


(Ashley, “the demure”)

Zach picked out a wolf pattern that Keri carved for him which turned out great

And Ashley wanted a combination of a horse and some stars and lightning bolts from 2 different patterns which Jeff mastered quite will for his first carving experience.


(taken with ‘fireworks’ setting)

Tori found a really cool pattern of the face of Chicken Little from the upcoming Disney flick. It turned out really cool but I didn’t get a good picture of it.

We played games and ate pizza and had a really terrific time.
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All in all we had a wonderful Halloween weekend and look forward to the trick-or-treaters tonight…especially James and Jules’ brood who always look adorable in their costumes. One year…was it last?…the three oldest dressed in matching pink 60’s go-go dancer outfits…it was super cute!

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe and happy Halloween! I’ve enjoyed sharing predominately horror based posts with you and there are more to come over the coming months as there are things I didn’t have time to post. Thanks for reading.

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October is almost over…Rats!!!

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Lisa Snellings-Clark, one of my favorite 3 dimensional artists whose praises I sang in this post here (Lisa is a fantastic artist…you should read this post and if you already have, read it again!), recently had a rat sale. I discovered Lisa through Neil Gaiman who has written several short stories based on Lisa’s sculptures. Many years back Neil called Lisa a ratbag and the idea for the Neil Rat was born. More rats soon followed. Lisa recently had a sale and her rats left her studio like…well…rats from a sinking ship. And some found their way to my home. I picked up the Neil Rat, of course:

Neil’s regular mode of dress is black with a black leather jacket and it will be no surprise that I also couldn’t resist the Poe Rat:

In fact I bought two of those so I could give one to my baby sister for a much belated birthday gift!

Soon after this sale she unveiled the Grim Ratter, pictured at the top of this post, who arrived just the other day in time to preside over the Halloween festivities. Each rat is hand painted and the Neil and Poe rats are individually numbered, part of a limited set. The are wonderful little things and so very fun. I’m very happy to have these small pieces of Lisa’s art. Her website is a great place to follow the creative process. She often shows pictures of works as she is creating them…currently she is working on a very large rat sculpture for the front yard for Halloween. Lisa will be having a sale very soon for the coming Christmas season. I encourage you to visit her site often.
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As we ramp up to Monday’s celebration of All Hallow’s Eve there are some potentially interesting things to watch on the old television this weekend. The History Channel is showing:

On Saturday evening at 8/7 central and again on Monday evening as part of a Halloween day extravaganza that features:

12/1cHistory’s Mysteries: Amityville: Horror or Hoax?
1/2cHistory’s Mysteries: The Real Dracula
4/3c Time Machine: Bloodlines – Dracula Family Tree
5/4c History’s Mysteries: Ancient Monster Hunters
6/5c Haunted History Of Halloween
7/6c Haunted History Of Halloween
8/7c Houdini: Unlocking The Mystery
10/9c UFO Files: Russian Roswell
11/10c Weird U.S. Creepy Curses

The Discover Channel has Twisted History: Vampires on Sunday at 10/9c

The Learning Channel (TLC) has Possessed Possessions on Sunday at 8/7c

and The Travel Channel has Most Haunted: Live beginning today with rebroadcasts throughout the weekend in which the team goes on a search for Jack the Ripper.

Looks like some fun, spooky stuff for the weekend!
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This weekend I will be posting some pictures this week of the Tarts‘ First Annual Halloween Party as well as pre-party pics of my decorating and the party invites that I made a few days ago. Its some fun stuff so check back in if you have time. Have a wonderful Halloween weekend everyone!